YouTube Copyright Enforcement

Comments discuss YouTube's ContentID system and DMCA compliance, criticizing how it enables unverified copyright claims and takedowns by rights holders without judicial review, while debating platform incentives and legal responsibilities.

📉 Falling 0.3x Legal
5,453
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#1870
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
13
2008
27
2009
45
2010
94
2011
167
2012
321
2013
135
2014
178
2015
288
2016
273
2017
164
2018
481
2019
523
2020
797
2021
615
2022
371
2023
374
2024
349
2025
231
2026
7

Keywords

TOS HAS archive.org ID HTTP YT USP YouTube google.com ycombinator.com youtube dmca copyright content claims claim takedown holders id copyrighted

Sample Comments

BlueTemplar May 8, 2021 View on HN

YouTube does their own thing with ContentID, which most copyright holders use :https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27072092

Macha Jan 1, 2024 View on HN

YouTube already doesn't validate copyright claims are valid - the DMCA makes even trying legally perilous, and YouTube's motivation to keep on good terms with the publishers goes even further. So in that regard, this changes nothing.

ghshephard Dec 29, 2009 View on HN

Content doesn't have a TOS. It has a copyright. In the United States, at least, the DMCA allows content owners to file a take down request. If youtube has been ignoring DMCA takedown requests, that's news to me.

kwamenum86 Mar 2, 2012 View on HN

That's not evil. Youtube is at the mercy of "big content " and they have to comply with copyright claims. They're not in the business of judging whether a something can be copyrighted - that's a job for the courts.

gus_massa Feb 28, 2023 View on HN

YouTube have some intermediate states for copyright violations, so it's possible.

claytonwramsey Jan 6, 2025 View on HN

The problem is not YouTube, but the law. The DMCA requires that online service providers (YouTube, Reddit, etc.) comply immediately with any takedown request and without question, so long as it meets sufficient conditions.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_Copyright_Infringement_...

PrefixKitten Apr 18, 2023 View on HN

wait, wouldn't this ruling technically also make youtube illegal too? they don't own the copyrights to all the videos they are hosting

nikanj May 23, 2020 View on HN

Youtube doesn't care whether they actually have the rights or not, that's for the courts to decide. You can submit copyright claims on whatever on Youtube, they don't traverse the complex web of agreements and assignments to see if you actually hold copyright to the thing you're claiming.

kevingadd May 19, 2019 View on HN

You can't do this on YouTube because YT satisfied the big copyright manipulators by adding their own system in front of the DMCA. As a result these claims don't go through the DMCA process and the legal penalties (toothless to begin with) built into the DMCA aren't available to you. Content ID killing your content or claiming it because someone misused Content ID isn't a legal matter so you are powerless. This is how it is intended to be: It's what Viacom/Disney

NZ_Matt Jan 30, 2013 View on HN

Youtube used that defense and got away with it, isn't this what the DMCA is for?