YouTube takes a stand

YouTube has declared war on unlawful and unjustified copyright notices. A recent blog post from the Copyright Legal Director of Google, Fred von Lohmann, has backed up a select few videos to be used as examples of protected under fair usage laws. Up to a million dollars in legal protection have been pledged for these videos should anyone enacting a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice against them decide to take matters to court.

The videos have been posted onto the YouTube Fair Use channel. However, the videos are only protected under the laws of the United States as of right now, meaning that they might be taken down in other countries. Glove and Boots (among others of internet fame) has been hired to describe the essentials of fair use in a video and how to use it.

 

On the new initiative taken, von Lohmann stated:

“In addition to protecting the individual creator, this program could, over time, create a “demo reel” that will help the YouTube community and copyright owners alike better understand what fair use looks like online and develop best practices as a community... We believe even the small number of videos we are able to protect will make a positive impact on the entire YouTube ecosystem, ensuring YouTube remains a place where creativity and expression can be rewarded.”

While not every single video can be protected, Google will still try and do its best to protect a small amount--therefore, positively supporting creative efforts.

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Sources: Kotaku, Blogspot

Images: Kotaku