YouTube
is clearly trying to clean up in light of the Viacom lawsuit, ironing out any potential issues over copyright theft. But high profile YouTube posters such as Loic Lemeur and Chris Crocker are being dragged in to the mess, potentially causing more harm to the site than good.
Google, YouTube’s parent company, often has a very strong and formidable stance about copyright issues. The internet giant is regularly pushing for more relaxed definitions of copyright law and often quoting ‘fair-use’ and the DMCA to fight off rights holders who don’t appreciate how Google allows their content get used.
However, recent actions on YouTube is showing Google as being more apprehensive about retaliations from rights holders.
Loic Lemeur
Seesmic
CEO and popular YouTube user Loic
Lemeur found himself on the wrong end of a YouTube copyright issue
lately. On July 18, Lemeur’s YouTube account was suspended due to
alleged copyright violations.
The content in question? Interviews with
Lemeur on French television programs that he’d been given permission to
share with his viewers. Rather than simply removing the content,
YouTube suspended Lemeur’s entire account.
One Week Later
Even with the amount of
industry pull and heavy-hitter friends one would assume Lemeur could
call on to help in this situation, over a week later, he still doesn’t
have his account back.
YouTube is not only refusing to replace the
content that isn’t in question, but insisting that Lemeur provide them
written authorization to have posted the videos from each of the
questioned videos.
Possible copyright infringement isn’t the only issue YouTube
appears
to be focused on, however.
Chris Crocker
A new video from cult YouTube star Chris
Crocker (of Leave Britney Alone quasi-fame) declares that the eccentric
Crocker is leaving YouTube for his own web site.
Unlike Lemeur, Crocker
has never achieved partner status, even with over 12.7 million views of
his 50 videos and over 169,000 subscribers to his channel.
Crocker Jumps Ship
Crocker’s
new site is currently at ShareNow
(or via the URL mschriscrocker.com), and he cites YouTube’s promotion
of other cult favorites on the site while passing him over for events
or partner status as a driving force for his exodus.
Crocker’s
irreverent videos may not be family-friendly fare with his
cross-dressing and profanity-laden videos, but it seems like YouTube
could be embracing an alternative market segment. At 12.7 million views
of original content, it seems like Crocker’s account would be ripe for
monetization.
Conclusions
YouTube seems to be missing the boat with both YouTube users,
and
potentially offending two large segments of their audience
base.
Ironically enough, a quick glance at Crocker’s favorite videos
include
multiple videos that appear to be blatant copyright violation,
including music videos and television clips posted by other YouTube
users.
This article is based on Profy post written by Cyndy Aleo-Carreira. Reposted and Edited with permission.
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