YouTube is at it again, this week a lot of gaming channels have been hit with copyright claims relating to in game audio.
It was first thought to be the work of unscrupulous publishers but it has been revealed that it is actually YouTube itself scanning these videos and flagging what they think to be copyrighted material.
Gaming videos on YouTube are a precarious place as it is, with most channels not having express permission or owning the material they are using one could say they are breaking the law, but in saying that most publishers are happy to see their games splashed all over YouTube, its free advertising for them and can really push the sales of their games.
Copyright claims usually come to light when a publisher doesn’t want certain parts of a game revealed, Original Soundtrack issues and in really bad cases where publishers don’t want their game bashed all over the internet.
When a third party matched content copyright claim is made the YouTuber receives no more ad revenue from that video until they can dispute and win the claim which doesn’t always happen. If they do not win the claim then the video can either be taken down by themselves or ads are placed on the video and all revenue goes to whomever made the claim.
This is clearly in place to stop channels from streaming music and piracy but with the new monetisation coming into play and copyright claims becoming more prevalent the whole of the YouTube gaming community is being affected whether directly or indirectly, especially those whose sole business is YouTube.
Some publishers like Ubisoft have come out and said they will help YouTubers with copyright claims and have in the past contacted YouTube on behalf of gamers to make sure content creators get their fair share of ad revenue (which is to say Ubisoft take none and the Creator gets whatever it is after YouTube take their cut).
Copyright has killed off several different websites over the years and now it seems that YouTube is being affected. With new rules and policy changes coming in on January affecting Gaming channels and Gaming networks this looks like a problem that is here to stay, no one can say what the future holds but if YouTube wants to maintain its dominance in the video streaming world in relation to gaming it has to start fighting for the gamers and not against them.
We here at FTN attempted to set up a channel that would stay updated with trailers and sneak peaks that we were given from PR companies but nearly every one of them were hit with copyright claims, hence the reason there is no activity on the YouTube Channel.
Have you been affected by this? Let us know.
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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