If you’ve ever been frustrated by having a video removed from YouTube due to an erroneously detected copyright violation, YouTube wants you to know it understands. Over the weekend the company said that it has created a new task force to focus on minimizing copyright video takedown mistakes.
The move was apparently in response to complaints from content providers and threats that they might stop using the video platform.
YouTube has used an automated system, called Content ID, to police copyright violations in the past. That system has become notorious for erroneous takedowns over the years. However. Google-owned YouTube said the new team will look at revising the takedown policy and address concerns from both content creators and copyright owners.
Lost Revenue
Many users who supply content to YouTube depend on advertising revenue garnered via the site — revenue that goes away when a video is erroneously tagged as a copyright violator. The site currently has an appeals form for content creators whose videos have been taken down due to age restrictions and other policy violations, including copyright claims.
YouTube is now acknowledging that it has taken down many videos erroneously and said that the dedicated team will reduce further mistakes and ensure that videos are taken down for legitimate reasons.
“Through user feedback, we realized that we needed to establish a channel for users to alert us to our mistakes,” wrote Spencer, a member of YouTube’s Policy Team, on the platform’s user forum. “We eventually launched an appeals form for age-restrictions, and just recently launched an appeals form for videos rejected due to policy violations.”
As recently as 2008, there was no appeals process for the removal of videos. The process was just put in place in response to user demand. The idea behind the new team is to put a human face on (and actual humans in) the appeal process, and to generally improve communication between YouTube and the content creators who use it. The team will monitor each takedown and make an effort to ensure that each is warranted.
More Initiatives
When an owner of a copyright thinks his content has been uploaded on YouTube without authorization, the owner can submit a copyright complaint. If the video in question is removed, the uploader gets a copyright “strike.” YouTube may terminate an account if the user gets three copyright strikes.
When a copyright owner formally notifies YouTube that an uploader doesn’t have permission to post the owner’s content on the site, YouTube said it is required by law to take down the upload.
YouTube didn’t name the members of the new team, or even say how many people will be on it. YouTube said it will introduce more initiatives in the coming months to help strengthen the communication between YouTube support and video makers.
“The good news is that the feedback you’ve raised in comments and videos on YouTube and beyond is having an impact,” Spencer said in the blog post.
