YouTubers have reported a dramatic spike in the number of copyright claims made against their videos this week, as YouTube implements new measures to stamp out copyright violations on the site.
The news that YouTube was planning to crack down on videos using copyrighted images and music emerged at the end of last week, but the new measures weren’t expected until early next year.
However, according to a number of sources – many of which have clustered on the NeoGaf forum – YouTubers are already seeing a huge increase in the volume of copyright claims made against their videos on behalf of game companies. The ramifications for YouTubers – an increasingly popular and lucrative sector of the games press – could be severe, as a copyright claim effectively prevents the uploader from monetising their content.
One popular YouTube channel, Force Strategy Gaming, published a video criticising the “content ID sweep” that has taken place this week. In just a few days, the number of copyright claims received in the history of the channel have doubled, “and it seems like every time I refresh the page a couple more pop up.”
Force highlighted game trailers, game music and in-game cut-scenes as “the biggest offenders” for those making the claims, with even videos containing just a few seconds from a trailer called into question and stripped of their monetisation potential. Force claimed that a certain amount of copyright material is classified as “fair use”, but he predicted that these stricter enforcement policies could have a huge impact on YouTubers specialising in “Let’s Play” videos – a very popular new form widely regarded as beneficial to the products it critiques.
Via Games Industry
