Members of Congress Question Google CEO about YouTube’s Content-ID System

[Matrix]

YouTube's Content ID system aims to protect copyright holders, but for now, it's not open to everyone. This limited availability of one of the largest copyright enforcement tools has raised questions among several US members of Congress. They question Google CEO Sundar Pichai on several Content ID issues, hoping the company will open it up to more rightsholders.

To protect copyright holders, YouTube uses an advanced piracy recognition system that flags and disables videos that are used without permission.

This system, known as Content ID, works well most of the time, but it’s not perfect. In recent years it’s been heavily criticized by YouTube users and rightsholders alike.

YouTubers, for example, have repeatedly complained that their content has been inaccurately claimed. On the other side, there are tens of thousands of copyright holders who would love to join the Content ID program but are not allowed to.

For now, YouTube’s Content ID system is limited to a few thousand participants. These are claimants which own the exclusive rights to a “substantial body of material” that is “frequently uploaded” by YouTube users. In other words, not the average indie creator.

This exclusivity is a thorn in the side of smaller artists, who instead have to manually go through YouTube to find infringing content. While that’s no different from any other site on the Internet, they feel left out and disadvantaged by the video streaming site.

This issue hasn’t gone unnoticed by US lawmakers. This week, a group of eight members of Congress, including Sen. Marcha Blackburn, Sen. Christopher Coons, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, and Rep. Adam Schiff, invited Google CEO Sundar Pichai to a roundtable discussion specifically about Content ID.

The members explain that they are quite content with Google’s copyright enforcement efforts, but they are also concerned that smaller content creators are being left out.

“We are concerned that copyright holders with smaller catalogs of works cannot utilize Content ID, making it more difficult or impossible for them to effectively protect their copyrighted works from infringement and, ultimately, impacting their livelihoods,” they write.

The lawmakers stress that many copyright holders have been denied access to Content ID. While they are still able to take infringing content down manually, they have to do more work than some larger competitors and with fewer resources.

“We have heard from copyright holders who have been denied access to Content ID tools, and as a result, are at a significant disadvantage to prevent the repeated uploading of content that they have previously identified as infringing,” the letter explains.

“They are left with the choice of spending hours each week seeking out and sending notices about the same copyrighted works, or allowing their intellectual property to be misappropriated,” they add.

The Congress members hope to obtain more insight into the matter during a roundtable, where representatives of the creative community will also be present. They’ve prepared a set of questions for Google’s CEO, which they hope to have answered.

Among other things, the members want to know how the Content ID system works, what type of rightsholders are able to join now, whether Google plans to open it up to more rightsholders, and if it will be expanded to other Google services, such as Blogger.

The entire roundtable appears to be limited to the perspective of external rightsholders. There is no mention of the many inaccurate claiming requests YouTubers (who are also content creators) complain about, nor is Content ID abuse on the agenda.

The goal of the roundtable is clear. The Congress members want YouTube’s Content ID system to be available to a wider range of rightsholders, as clearly indicated in their closing words.

“Again, we appreciate the efforts that you have made to combat distribution of infringing content on YouTube. Given its apparent benefits to rights holders, we hope that you will consider making Content ID and the benefits it provides available to a larger category of content creators.”

A copy of the letter the Members of Congress sent to Google CEO Sundar Pichai is available here (pdf), via IPWatchdog.

 

 VIEW: Original Article.

[steven36]

Meanwhile indie performers upload to torrent sites and  free legal music blogs  and give there stuff away free just to piss off  the industry . They dont own the rights to everything , only they own the the rights to stuff  of people who signed contracts with rights holders.  We all seen it before when sites that host piracy try to go legit  they fade away into nonexistence . If your  a smaller artist your stuff will never be heard or watched without giving it away for free and if people like your work they will support  you . Content ID was invented to protect the already famous if they gave it to everyone that wanted to use it they be no YouTube left .That's the problem  with Anti Piracy tools  if the Government gets involved with  it . Rights holders want to destroy  YouTube , The govt want to  let rights holders use Google's own tools against itself . A house divided can't stand and as soon as that happens they will be a mass exodus from YouTube  to other video sites that  are outside of the government's reach.

 

Google search  is already like  Stone Temple Pilots - Half The Man I Used To Be   Well, I'm half the search engine I used to be.

 

The rights holders  have had such a chilling effect on Google that the search engine industry was sent back to 12 years ago were you need  to use word of mouth and  many search engines now. There coming  to ruin YouTube now .🤣

 

You have to understand  who wrote Google that letter

 

Blackburn Asks Google to Expand YouTube Content ID Copyright Infringement Technology So More Artists Can Protect Their Work

https://tennesseestar.com/2019/09/05/blackburn-asks-google-to-expand-youtube-content-id-copyright-infringement-technology-so-more-artists-can-protect-their-works/

 

Net Neutrality Hating, SOPA-Loving Marsha Blackburn Pegged To Chair Key Technology & Telecom Subcommittee

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170109/09210136443/net-neutrality-hating-sopa-loving-marsha-blackburn-pegged-to-chair-key-technology-telecom-subcommittee.shtml

 

Shes Big Telecom since people like her could not get SOPA  passed she's going after  the Tech Industry  to  use  there own tools  against themselves to rid there sites of copyright protected content  outside of the law  voluntarily  .

 

Big Telecom  never plays fair when they done 6 strikes warnings voluntarily.  Only Big Telecom providers that owns most of  Hollywood  volunteer to do it , so since it was not really successful  because they could not get Small Telecom onboard , people started leaving big providers for smaller ones , so they made it mandatory for Telecom to disconnect repeat infringers    and now Big Telecom  that owns most of Hollywood goes around suing Small Telecom.  You volunteer to do the devils work your just going get sued down the road for not enforcing it , if it don't make a difference . 

 

Big Telecom  is the enemy of  Indie Artist  , Big Tech  and Small Telecom. They want to send the internet back to the dial up days,  were everyone still used  cable and satellite  .They over charge  for there internet streaming to compassionate for cord cutting .Before  Google  Big Telecom that owns the networks were the ones making  all the money from TV commercials and   Paid  channels . They sale you your phone service , internet service , they use to sale you your cable and satellite too. they want to kill big tech and any other competition  .