Copyright insanity

Today I logged on to Youtube to check a video that I had added to my favourites list. To my utter amazement, I got a red bar at the top of the screen telling me that due to copyright issues I needed to sod off, basically. At first I thought that my account had been suspended, but on further examination no, it seems to be yet another "highly unusual" youtube-ism.

This can mean either of two things: 1/ it's a new bug in 2.0 channels, or 2/ they're serious. I certainly hope it's the former. For quite a while I've felt that Youtube have been bowing to the more insane elements of the copyright brigade. Insane copyright enforcement as we know it began with Walt Disney.

One does not have to look very far to find evidence. Yes, the suits at Walt Disney are very active indeed, engaging in such petty behaviour as threatening legal action against preschool creches. Only a couple of years ago a local creche was threatened over showing a Walt Disney video to under - 5's. I also recall in the recent past a school's Christmas play revolving around 'Snow white and the seven dwarfs' ( man, is that politically correct?! ) having to be abandoned due to the same copyright jackboot approach.

Now I can well understand what copyright is all about, and God knows, Ireland is a copyright theft zone at the best of times. There are people, regardless of how much money they have, who will never pay for something if they can help it. We live in a culture where - and it has to be said the internet has not helped - intellectual property is seen as being there for the taking. The most startling example is probably Music.



I remember when the big debate was about putting a levy on blank Cassette tapes ( technically speaking, recording from the radio is illegal ). In fact our own U2 were among the biggest promoters of this levy idea. The arguement, however, is twofold. For far too long the music industry has been ripping people off, and the oft - wheeled out example of the needy artist in justifying this is a bogus one ( the music industry takes them for a ride too, regardless )

The simple fact of the matter is that Copyright, to my mind anyway, is to stop people who can afford something from stealing it. It should not be for protecting markets to a greater than fair financial end, nor should it be about keeping poorer people who can not afford something ignorant. Both instances are called 'Greed' not 'Copyright'.

Youtube have, over the past number of months, been actively disabling sound on the most grainey rubbish - quality recordings due to copyright. It makes no sense. If they had any sense they would get together properly with all concerned, and put out a 30 minute quality preview of something which is 90 minutes, as per 'journeymanpictures' ( great channel ). This would whet people's appetite and make them feel like buying it. What seems to have happened is that Youtube and the movie / music industry are at the point of mild flirting at best.

Another daft idea is that of "algorithmically demoting" videos which contain profanity. The only problem for youtube is that these videos are consistently at the top of the most viewed / favourited / commented, and making a most viewed video not most viewed is profoundly dishonest. It either is or isn't. The youtube partner progam is practically impossible to join, as everything is a copyright infringement in youtube's ultra - vague 'rulebook'. Last but not least, they are promoting some truly rubbish videos from some of those who do succeed in becoming partners, like a girl showing eveyone her apartment.

As we all know - though I wonder if youtube have been told - things move fast in the tech. industry. Apple twigged it and came up with 'itunes'. This latest youtube annoyance is one of many ( see my previous post ). If they don't get their act together and come up with something workable soon, they will drown. Youtube has already been around for 4 years - a very long time in the internet context. That should mean that they have another 18 - 24 months left, if the rise and fall of the vast majority of previous ventures is anything to go by.

In short, common sense has to prevail. Preventative measures never work, but working with people and giving them options at a FAIR price does. I often wonder if, in two years time, I will be sitting here (no doubt a little more grey) and watching a new youtube type service from Asia or India, after the original youtube had tied itself in knots and lost all credibility. It is already three quarters there.