How is YouTube getting away with millions of copyright infringement video uploads everyday?

Please, someone in law expertise, help me understand this issue. There is so much inconsistency on so many levels. Remember, Napster, Kazaa, even dozens and hundreds of small "businesses" got nailed with p2p media copyright infringements. Now, Pirate Bay. It doesn't end, but YouTube (central hub instead of a p2p network) has been getting away with it for several years. How?!?

http://abcnews.go.com/International/comments?type=story&id=7359626
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True, and I'm not complaining. However, I just need to understand the inconsistancies in applying the laws to copyright infringements.

in vino veritas

I do not know...

...but seeing Susan Boyle on there was a needed breath of fresh air, indeed.

She indeed puts a good life in perspective....

mr._your_friend

The have disclaimers when you sign up saying they are not responsible, also Google owns YouTube now, if google dies, so does the rest of the world.

soprano_II

I'm not positive, not being a memeber of YouTube, but my guess is that when you sign the Terms of Use (which nobody reads, unfortunately) you agree not to pirate movies, tv shows, etc.. This gives YouTube the ability to say that they aren't responsible for people misusing their website because they can claim that they have a contract with each person who downloads movies saying that they wouldn't download movies. Therefore, all the movie companies can do is ask YouTube to block certain videos that they locate that infringe upon copyrights. They can't outright blame YouTube.

dugo

This is a vexed issue; YouTube has signed agreements with major music studios etc to pay lots and lots of money every year to offset some of this.

They also employ sophisticated content scanning technology to try and detect when copyright media has been uploaded. (e.g. one technique uses scene-change intervals in movies as a kind of fingerprint)

YouTube does not ignore the issue, and works hard to cover their ***.

I used to work in a company that produced social networking solutions, and we were extremely conscious of trying to build in mechanisms and hooks to detect / allow for the detection of infringing content.

Ultimately I think the content providers know that something like YouTube is going to end up as one of their biggest channels - they just have to figure out how to monetize it.

{ There's another angle of course; what kind of lawyers and cash do you think "The Pirate Bay" has when compared to "YouTube"; 'nuff said? ;-) }

*7 Inch Heels*

Because there are MILLIONS a day. The people that post the videos know better, but youtube cant shut down all of them there are so many to go through. Eventually they do catch up with you and take them down though, its jsut a matter of time.

Fred Bear

Interesting question!

If you or I tried to do it we'd be closed down within hours of starting!

It's Google, they aim to rule the World and they are well on the way. They are so huge and powerful that no one is willing to take them on.

The latest happening is that YouTube have come to an agreement with movie companies and are going to have (in a separate section on YouTube) free downloads of latest movies!

The agreement is for YouTube and the movie companies to share the advertising revenue.

tikababy

You have the right to view it you don't have the right to download it and sell it for profit.

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