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YouTube hands over user’s ID to Fox

Posted by Cory Bergman on February 13, 2007

In response to subpoenas, YouTube and Live Digital revealed the identities of two people who uploaded entire episodes of Fox’s 24 a week before the show’s season premiere. In YouTube’s case, the user’s handle is ECOTtotal, and he’s also believed to have uploaded 12 episodes of The Simpsons. “We intend to use the information provided to pursue all available legal remedies against those who infringed our copyrights,” said 20th Century Fox TV VP Chris Alexander. Points out Marshall Kirkpatrick on Techcrunch, “If the episodes of 24 were already circulating on P2P networks before they hit YouTube, as some reports suggest, then this is little more than a symbolic blood-letting.”

Adds Donnie in comments: “I don’t understand why YouTube was so reluctant to hand over the information from the get go. The users obviously broke copyright laws and YouTube’s user agreement, so why bother trying to protect them?”

  • Donnie MacIntyre

    I don’t understand why YouTube was so reluctant to hand over the information from the get go. The users obviously broke copyright laws and YouTube’s user agreement, so why bother trying to protect them?

  • fishpatrol

    Why? 1, because they rely on users uploading content. If users are too concerned about uploads getting them in trouble, they may decide not to upload at all. No uploads means no traffic, and no traffic means no opportunity for YouTube to make money or influence people. 2, because videos like these get lots of views. It’s in YouTube’s best interest to look the other way, drag their feet, and beg ignorance when they’re called out. That stance seems to work for users, too–they’re uploading copyrighted content by the score.

    Not that corporate truculence like “We intend to use the information provided to pursue all available legal remedies against those who infringed our copyrights” is likely to win them new customers. It’s convenient for companies to complain that their shows are on TV and DVD and expect that consumers should be satisfied with those options. Obviously consumers aren’t. I’m amazed that content owners see customers accessing TV shows in new ways and say, We’ve got to put a stop to this, instead of, How can we make money off of this? Isn’t the latter The American Way?

    If people are finding other avenues to content–even ways that are too lo-fi to expect to enjoy–Fox and companies like it need to open up similar, legit avenues to that content based on similar values. Is that so hard to fathom? Does Fox want to make money or just make themselves look bad? People want their content! They need to wake up and make new models, new ways of doing business to bid for this market and integrate with their other product lines.

  • Donnie MacIntyre

    Yes yes that’s all true, but I mean with the way things are right now, today, it’s not in YouTube’s best interest to “look the other way, drag their feet, and beg ignorance when they’re called out” by the big studios. YouTube and Google are scrambling to try to keep the big guys happy right now; Viacom just pulled all their content a few days ago and NBC Universal indicated they too are none too happy with all the content illegally being uploaded by users as well. When the folks at Fox came looking for a user who without a doubt uploaded video illegally it was an incredibly stupid business decision for YouTube to deny them what they wanted. Now basically the message YouTube is sending to the studios is “Work with us! We want to cooperate with you and protect your properties from piracy and theft, but just don’t expect us to assist you when pirated or stolen copies of your property show up on our servers!” It just doesn’t make any sense, and I’m sure Viacom isn’t second guessing the decision it made after watching all this unfold.

  • Dave

    “Viacom just pulled all their content a few days ago”?

    Great – maybe YouTube will be returned to the masses. Viacom can post it’s stuff elsewhere (should post its stuff elsewhere). I was so sick of seeing all the CBS crap on YouTube. Let them post their videos on their own servers and leave YouTube to what it does best – non-professional/grass-roots personal videos. Even those pull lots of viewers!!

  • Dave

    Alas, I just checked. CBS still has 5,000 videos on youtube. What a waste of bandwidth. We’ll come to your site when we want to see your stuff. Until then, CBS – get out of the way.

  • Donnie MacIntyre

    Viacom had YouTube remove all the copyrighted materials that were posted by users, such as the thousands of Daily Show and Colbert Report videos. I believe the official CBS channel still exists.

  • thedetroitchannel

    donny, you buy your kool aid by the 55 gallon drum?

  • Donnie MacIntyre

    Hey, you spelled my name wrong.

  • thedetroitchannel

    zpelink aim’t mi stwrong soot.

    zorry!

  • Donnie MacIntyre

    Accepted old chap!

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