A new feature has been added by YouTube for checking on cases of potential copyright infringement . This feature will now check videos for potential copyright infringements at the uploading stage.
Google, which is the parent company of YouTube has taken this step. It claims that the new feature will assist creators and reduce surprises or concerns.
Before videos are published on the platform, the new system will not only check and scan them for copyright infringement, but also for monetization issues. It will also address ad-suitability issues, which will prevent uploaders from earning a share of ad revenue if their video does not meet Google's guidelines for advertiser-friendly content guidelines.
The previous method of flagging videos for copyright infringement will be replaced by the new feature. which means that passing the Checks stage is not enough to mark the video as infringement free;at a later stage, still the videos can be flagged for copyright infringement. Google has attempted to strike a balance between enforcing copyright claims and resisting stricter content restrictions.
In July 2019, Google announced that copyright owners would be required to provide timestamps to the company specifying exactly wherein a video the alleged infringement was located when a new update to YouTube's copyright claims system was released. Google also stated that it was constantly responding to creators' concerns about their ambiguous claims of copyright infringement or snippets of music. On the other hand, all of the new copyright obligations enshrined in the 2019 EU Copyright Directive, were vehemently opposed by the company . These obligations places greater responsibility on each and every platform, including YouTube, to monitor for infringing content.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicko said,
“While we support the rights of copyright holders—YouTube has dealt with almost all of today's music companies and TV broadcasters—we are concerned about the new directive's vague, untested requirements,”
Susan Wojcicko, added,
“It has the potential to severely limit what YouTube creators can upload. This has the potential to reduce YouTube revenue for traditional media and music companies, as well as to harm the many European creators who have built their businesses on YouTube.”
According to Google, before uploading the videos the creators will be assisted by the the new Checks system in avoiding copyright and monetization issues down the road by identifying them.
According to a YouTube update, “You no longer need to publish a video as unlisted or private—once the checks are complete, you'll know whether your video's visibility or monetization potential will be limited once it's public. However, it is still possible for your video to be restricted after it has been published,".
For the original creators, it is unquestionably a good news , but for many people it may make it difficult to upload the content now.
