YouTube on Monday put in place software to block the posting of pirated videos and appease content owners that accuse the popular website of being a willing accomplice to copyright abuses. YouTube Video Identification is billed as an anti-piracy platform custom built with the help of Google, which bought YouTube last year in a 1.65 billion-dollar stock deal.
Since the purchase, Google has been under fire from video owners including entertainment giant Viacom and the English soccer league for not doing more to stop users from posting copyrighted clips at the website. YouTube maintains it is adhering to US law by taking down copyrighted material when owners complain but has been under pressure to more vigilantly thwart the transgressions.
YouTube Video Identification software put into use at the website is a test, or beta, version that the Northern California Company plans to hone. The system allows copyright holders to automatically identify their content at YouTube then block or promote the videos, or join forces with YouTube to make revenue with advertising.
"We have worked with Google to develop one-of-a-kind technology that can recognise videos based on a variety of factors," King and Brown said in the joint posting. "Video Identification is brand-new, cutting-edge stuff. Early tests with content companies have shown very promising results."
In order to get material protected at YouTube the owners of copyrights must provide enough information from videos for digital "fingerprints" to check against postings by users. It remains to be seen whether video copyright owners will be satisfied with YouTube's antidote for piracy.