Youtube beginning to mute videos with copyrighted music

[Cry Havoc]

http://mashable.com/2009/01/14/youtube-mutes-videos/

Perhaps this has been going on for a while, but I’ve never noticed it before. YouTube users often create an original video using their favorite popular song as the audio. I’m afraid that they won’t be able to do that much longer, since YouTube has started muting videos that use unauthorized copyrighted music (and that pretty much means all user-created videos.)

You can see some examples here, here and here.

The official notice from YouTube under the video says the following:

“This video contains an audio track that has not been authorised by all copyright holders. The audio has been disabled.”

If YouTube starts being thorough about this, you can expect to see a significant percentage of all YouTube videos muted. The implications are a bit different than with removing copyrighted professionally produced content, like an official music video; we’re talking about tens of thousands of fan made videos, funny spoofs, remixes and the like being pretty much destroyed, and I’m guessing users will be less than thrilled about it.

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Thought about posting this in "Geek Zone", but since nearly all net users have at least browsed youtube at one point or another, this is probably more of a global thing.

We could be seeing the death of youtube happening. Censorship. It starts with copyrighted music. Where does it end?

Sucks. I see the internet becoming increasingly hostile to it's own users, the people that give it life and breath. In less than three decades, we might see it go from virtually nothing, to a completely worldwide phenomenon, to a relatively spartan environment where only the wealthy have true freedom of access. These things don't happen all at once. They start with stuff like this.

[balli]

Logistically and in the short term, this sucks. in' bagel-ass youtube. Nobody's getting sued for ripping Tiny Dancer into a video of their 4 year old's dance recital. And if they are, they should be protected by law, not censorship. This country needs a serious overhaul of its copyright laws. This antiquated, old-world system we have, can go to .

Sucks. I see the internet becoming increasingly hostile to it's own users, the people that give it life and breath. In less than three decades, we might see it go from virtually nothing, to a completely worldwide phenomenon, to a relatively spartan environment where only the wealthy have true freedom of access. These things don't happen all at once. They start with stuff like this.

As for the long-term implications, I agree, but in that same vein- I think in general, we're more or less headed for a world/USA built out of gated communities and slums. This dichotomy ain't stopping with the internet, so frankly, it, there's bigger fish to fry and bigger things to lose.

[PM5K]

They've been doing this for a while.

[Frenzy]

they remove a lot of music videos too...


down hill youtube...downhill

[baseline bum]

Wow. Youtube is basically sticking a shotgun in their mouth and pulling the trigger.

[sa_butta]

Youtube is not the only place to host videos, just the most popular. People will find another way.

[mexicanjunior]

Youtube has taken down about 7 of my videos due to music copyrights. It sucks but at least there are alternatives...

[pickle girl]

Soon they will take away all photos of rock stars and NBA players you use in your postings.

[Cry Havoc]

Youtube is not the only place to host videos, just the most popular. People will find another way.

The problem is that this represents a commitment from one of the largest, most consumer friendly businesses in the world to SCREW the consumer over. The little person doesn't matter to Google?

Siding with the RIAA is a step shy of making a pact with Satan. They love control, money, and little else.

[manufor3]

I make vids on utube and now im prob im trouble because of my songs in background

[BlackSwordsMan]

It's been going for a while but they used to make people mute them themselves now they do it.

[MiamiHeat]

Only a matter of time before the internet as we know it dies.

[Alex Jones]

Only a matter of time before the internet as we know it dies.

According to your beliefs it should evolve into something else.

Face folks the NWO is here and theres no turning back.