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YouTube Has An Illegal TV Streaming Problem (mashable.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Mashable: Most people turn to Netflix to binge watch full seasons of a single TV show, but there could be a much cheaper way: YouTube. You might be surprised to learn that you can watch full episodes of popular TV shows on YouTube for free, thanks to a large number of rogue accounts that are hosting illegal live streams of shows. Perhaps the most shocking thing about these free (and very illegal) TV live streams might even make their way into your suggested video queue, if you watch enough "random shit" and Bobby Hill quote compilations on the site, as Mashable business editor Jason Abbruzzese recently experienced. He first noticed the surprisingly high number of illegal TV streaming accounts on his YouTube homepage, which has tailored recommended videos based on his viewing habits. Personalized recommendations aren't exactly new -- but the number of illegal live streams broadcasting copyrighted material on a loop was a shocker. When we looked deeper into the livestreams, the number we found was mindblowing. Many of these accounts appear to exist solely to give watchers an endless loop of their favorite shows and only have a few other posts related to the live streamed content. "YouTube respects the rights of copyright holders and we've invested heavily in copyright and content management tools to give rights holders control of their content on YouTube," a YouTube spokesperson told Mashable in an email. "When copyright holders work with us to provide reference files for their content, we ensure all live broadcasts are scanned for third party content, and we either pause or terminate streams when we find matches to third party content."
As YouTube is now overtly (i.e. actively) deciding what videos are too 'controversial' to be seen on their service even if they don't violate their Terms of Service, I think YouTube should have it's safe harbor protection in the DMCA revoked and be held liable for each and every one of the illegal videos/streams on their system.
Once you go above and beyond the 'take down videos upon DMCA request' and start deciding which videos can stay and which should go, you've lost the justification that you cannot be held responsible for which things appear on your service.
RIAA .. MPAA -- sic'em ;)
Criminalized: illegal, but I don't want it to be illegal.
Illegal: neutral term.
Very illegal: illegal, and I want punishment to be worse.
Actually it sounds like content producers have an untapped market problem. Here you have people wanting to consume your content but are having to turn to pirate sources to do so, so either you aren't providing a way for potential customers to pay you for your content or assuming the case where all of these people are too poor to even pay $.01, to show them a small amount of advertisement along side of your content.
Knowing this crowd though, they'll still fid a watch to bitch and moan about demand for their product. Oh to have their problems.
It is that most heinous of crimes, theft of money.
I read the internet for the articles.
Better title: Copyright holders have a TV streaming problem.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
A balance must be struck between the masses that want the entertainment as cheaply as possible vs. the content providers who would love to be able to charge you extra for letting house guests watch your TV with you.
There is no XUL, only WebExtensions...
Definitely I am afraid to leave my home due to all the tvshow pirates out there. I feel like every other person on the street is just waiting to walk up to me and watch GoT on their phones illegally. One day someone actually BUMPED INTO ME because he was too busy watching pirated tv shows on his phone! The world isn't safe.
It is that most heinous of crimes, theft of money.
Even worse: the theft of money from someone with a lot of money.
Get a capture card with component inputs. At least you'll get 720.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Yup. After 8 years, you should not be entitled to any interest on your investment. I'll take that principal, thank you very much.
You're gonna have a hard time with your retirement planning, then.
#DeleteChrome
Copyright exists because copyrightable works are different from other types of works (material, monetary). If I take your retirement principal, you no longer have it. If I take your copyrighted work, you still have it.
The analogous situation with retirement savings can't really happen because money doesn't work that way. But if it did, it would be: I take your $200,000 retirement principle, and I have $200,000 and you still have $200,000.
So the way to maximize the value of a copyrighted work to society is for everyone to get a copy. But if everyone gets a copy for free, then there's no incentive for people to create new works. So we set up a system where for a short time creators have exclusive rights to distribute their works in exchange for money. Once that time expires, it falls into the public domain, and the entire public gets the benefit of the formerly copyrighted work.
Unfortunately, copyright holders have managed to get this time extended to a ridiculously long duration. Currently about 120 years (average remaining lifespan at time of creation + 70 years). Can you even name a dozen copyrighted works which were created 100-120 years ago? The duration is so ridiculously long that by the time copyrighted works fall into the public domain, they have next to zero value to society remaining, thus defeating the whole purpose of copyright. I'm not sure what the correct duration should be. 8 years seems too short. But it sure as hell isn't 120 years.
Anyway, I've wondered if content providers ever thought of dealing with piracy in a different way. Maybe include a big "This show is provided courtesy of Kraft Foods", or something like that, at the beginning, and only really go after the pirates who edit that out. Product placement has at times gotten extensive enough at times to be considered being an embedded commercial. I saw a Warehouse 13 episode where they basically stopped the show so Claudia could walk people through the virtues of her new Toyota Prius. White Collar did the same with a Ford Taurus, with Peter, the FBI agent, giving a demonstration of how its automatic anti-collision system worked. I don't know, maybe release a "here you go" version of TV shows that have an "Advertiser's cut" where some extra scenes are added that have even more product placement. We could have an episode of Fringe where the show stops so Walter could extoll the virtues of a candy he enjoys. Oh wait, they already did that. :) Lol, so just add in more of the same, and get your money up front from the advertisers. "Millions of people will see your candy being enjoyed in pirated episodes!".
...these free (and very illegal) TV live streams...
Was this article written by a copyright troll?
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife