News: Two separate reports raise copyright concerns with YouTube. First, JASRAC, Japan’s version of ASCAP, said the response of YouTube to the alleged copyright infringement of Japanese copyrighted works was “not satisfactory.” Representing major copyright holders in Japan, JASRAC said that YouTube gave no specific date on changing its website to include a copyright warning in Japanese. JASRAC was open to meeting with the top executives of YouTube, as Chad Hurley had offered. (More here)
Meanwhile, some reports suggest that YouTube failed to meet its supposed promise to implement, by the end of the year, a copyright content identification system, software that would patrol YouTube videos for illegally copied music and videos. A spokesperson for YouTube reportedly denied that the company had ever promised a year-end launch of the anti-piracy system. (More here)
Analysis: First, as to the Japanese demand, surely YouTube can find someone in the Bay Area to write a copyright warning in Japanese, so YouTube can upload it on its site. As to the anti-piracy software, if you go back to the YouTube press release about its deal with Warner Music Group (WMG), where the content identification was first discussed, it did state: “WMG will have the opportunity to authorize the use of its content by the YouTube community by taking advantage of YouTube’s advanced content identification and royalty reporting system, set for release by the end of the year.” The YouTube spokesperson is probably right that this statement was not a firm commitment, but it probably did raise some expectations. Now that 2007 is here, it will be interesting to see how these copyright issues play out.
