YouTube's Solution To Unauthorized Japanese Videos: A Warning Written In Japanese

from the well-that-will-solve-everything dept

Wed, Dec 20th 2006 1:42am — Mike Masnick

Earlier this month, the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers sent a nastygram to YouTube demanding they cease allowing copyrighted materials to be uploaded to their site. This came soon after the same group demanded the removal of approximately 30,000 videos from the site, and was disappointed to find that many were put back on the site some time later. Of course, since YouTube just provides the platform, it's pretty much impossible to completely prevent such uploads. However, YouTube has responded by promising to put up a warning in Japanese about copyright violations and to send a delegation to Japan to meet with JASRAC over these concerns. So far, it seems like JASRAC is satisfied by the response, but at some point they're going to have to realize that there is no real way to prevent the content from being uploaded. Should some sort of magic bullet ever actually show up that YouTube could use to block uploads, the content would simply migrate to sites that just don't care as much about copyright violations. In other words, it's a time-consuming and totally ineffective game of whack-a-mole. One of these days, they'll have to realize that there are ways to benefit from letting people upload shows -- and the whole "problem" goes away.

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13 Comments

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`Zidane Tribal, 20 Dec 2006 @ 2:37am

whilst there may be a benefit of sorts, i suspect its more likely a banefit that comes from "fair use" uploading. namely, allowing people to upload individual skits or short-ish segments (like, 5 minutes of a 30 minute show). personally, i fail to see why anyone should be allowed to simply grab an entire show and upload it. i have become a regular watcher of "the today show" after seeing several skits on youtube, but i still watch it on my tv (yes, with adverts), rather than scouring youtube for it.

and before anyone calls me a troll, i do agree with sharing media, but i also agree with fair use principles (i.e. i can buy a cd, convert it to mp3 to play on my iriver, lend it to a freind etc, but i shouldnt then upload it to a hundred people on the internet).
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Mike F.M, 20 Dec 2006 @ 3:05am

I don't agree
Personally, I don't agree that watching a TV show on-line necessarily motivates people to watch the same program on TV. If you can get the content whenever you want without adverts interrupting your viewing, (Although there are a few amusing ones around at the minute), then why would you watch it at a scheduled time?

The only reasons I can think of are if you can't find the full episode on-line or if you happen to catch it on TV.

I do watch some TV, but mostly I download TV content as I am never in when a program I want to watch is on.
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Dr. A, 20 Dec 2006 @ 3:26am

This is very similar to the begining of times when all performance was live.

Can you imagine their shock when recording/replay was first invented so that anyone can hear/watch them at any time, anywhere ?

Well.. they still didn't wake up from it!
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2006 @ 5:17am

i never saw the show scrubs until someone showed me episodes they had downloaded. it caused me to watch it when it aired. if you enjoy the show enough, you'll look forward to it enough that you'll put up with the commercials just so you can see it asap. D/Ling only became a backup way for me to watch a show if i missed it.
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Going Japanese, 20 Dec 2006 @ 5:19am

Not So Neat
Here's the problem with the 'sample, then watch on TV with adverts' argument. If you're in the US, that's impossible.

I personally enjoy a lot of the Japanese dramas that have been subtitled in English by fan-groups. And, yes, often end up on YouTube. Unlicensed, fan subtitled, Japanese animation often does as well.

These are programs that currently have no licensed, english-language release, and certainly don't air on Western TV. Considering that the quality of Youtube is in no danger of approaching DVD level, how is it anything but fair use to share shows that way?
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Wizard Prang, 20 Dec 2006 @ 8:33am

It would be so much easier...
...if copyright was about commercial exploitation rather than copying.
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Old News, 20 Dec 2006 @ 9:11am

Because it looks prettier
Why would I watch it on TV instead of downloading it?

Because I have a 61" wide screen TV and it looks alot better in high def. I have a high Def DVR and I record and watch at my leasure.

My DVR hosed up and i missed 2 episodes of battlestar galactica. I had to download them and watch them on Itunes to get caught up and it was like poking myself in the eye over and over, the picture quality sucked and the sound was aweful.

The Internet has a long way to go before it comes close to HDTV quality.
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JS Beckerist, 20 Dec 2006 @ 10:36am

SCRUBS!
I have a list of shows I never watched before having seen a downloaded copy, yet I now consider myself a fan and either watch them or have purchased (*) dvds:
Firefly *
Scrubs
South Park *
Family Guy *
Futurama *
American Dad
Star Trek Voyager *
Aqua Teen Hunger Force *
Squidbillies (I so cannot WAIT for the DVDs for this show)
The Office *
My Name is Earl *

Note: prior to my introduction to downloaded episodes, the only TV I watched was the occasional South Park and the Daily Show. That's IT.
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Daiski, 20 Dec 2006 @ 3:29pm

Television is poison. Start coding.
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|333173|3|_||3, 20 Dec 2006 @ 6:14pm

Wether or not copying is illegal, it is inevitable. THe companies will eventually realise this, and give up suing, so all that has to be done is for people to wait a couple of decades. In the mean time, there are enough methods of sharing data, and enough ananymous proxies that the moderately competent should be safe.
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zidanes a douche, 22 Dec 2006 @ 7:08am

u are a troll
who says that? u are a 40 yr old virgin u fag
u probabaly jack off to the today show and thats why u watch
-comment back bitch
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Dec 2006 @ 3:10pm

Well, this whole "watch online, then watch TV" argument could be completely swapped around - For example, I saw "House" on TV one night, and decided it was an awesome show; I then proceeded to look for episodes of it on YouTube. Isn't that a reversal of the so-called advantage you say online video clips have?
Granted, this was just a random comment, since I totally support free online sharing of everything - Corporations make billions of dollars a year, it really doesn't matter to them if their content is hosted online - The only fear they have is the possibility of the outphasing of television. Ironically enough, if a revolution from television to the internet occurred, these companies would be the most prepared to begin mass advertising online. :)
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daniel, 29 Apr 2007 @ 7:10pm

hi
i'm doing an itgs portfolio at school about youtube. in my portfolio i have to suggest an IT (information technology) solution. i was wondering if any of u could help me find out any IT solution for the copyrights problem

thanks!
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