YouTube removes nearly 30,000 video files
October 20, 2006 (Reuters) — This is going to be what they spend a lot of time doing for the next year.

YouTube.com removed 29,549 video files from its popular Web site in Japan after receiving a demand from a group of Japanese media companies over copyright infringement, an industry group said on Friday.

The television, music and movie clips had been posted without the permission of copyright holders, the Tokyo-based Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers said in a statement.

The group, which represents 23 media companies, including TV networks and movie distributors, said it would ask YouTube to set up screening and other measures to block postings of unauthorized files. It also called on Internet users not to post video clips in violation of copyright laws.

To commemorate the beginning of the end, here is the fabled 30,000 bottle rockets-at-once video.



  1. V says:

    This could kill YouTube or save it depending on how its done. They need to push the idea that 90% of this “infringement” is free promotion, and offer the holders ad revenue from those pages (or the option to place free ads there, etc.) There is a good way to handle it.

  2. Mike Voice says:

    1 This could kill YouTube or save it depending on how its done.

    Agreed.

    As MSNBC’s article stated:
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15196982/

    The truce with Universal represented a particularly significant breakthrough because the world’s largest record company had threatened to sue YouTube for copyright infringement less than a month ago.

    The question is, how many people will continue to go to YT for home-made videos – and how many went there mainly for the infringing material?

    Comments on another forum were angry at the idea that YT pulled everything on the Japanese group’s list – and therefore couldn’t possibly have verified everything that was pulled was infringing… so people had their postings deleted without due process…. [rolls eyes]

    Its a video posted on the internet, people. Get over it! 🙁

    …and offer the holders ad revenue from those pages (or the option to place free ads there, etc.)

    Do the content owners really want to encourage the idea that it is okay to upload/download copyrighted material for free – because they are getting their “cut” via ad revenue?

    Or, are they capitulating to the idea that the filesharing craze has irretrievably damaged their ability to get people to respect copyright?

  3. Jägermeister says:

    The media companies will – once more – shoot themselves in the foot. Did it work for RIAA to shut down Napster? Will it work for the MPAA et al to get rid of their content on YouTube and elsewhere? No. If you can’t beat them, join them.

  4. Timbo says:

    According to Drudgereport.com, the volume of videos on the internet was getting close to maxing it out, with youtube being the main source of these videos. So it makes sense they would reduce some of the videos on youtube, to lessen the internet load.

  5. Mr. Fusion says:

    #4, According to fusion.corn, that is impossible. The internet is made of tubes and there is always stuff waiting to come down the tubes, especially all those emails to Ted Stevens.

    Do you realize the quantity of servers required to fill up the internet? It’s a lot more then You Tube has.

  6. Rich Brill says:

    DAMM, I never got a chance to watch emmm…

  7. Rich Brill says:

    I doubt this will kill You tube.
    This will make a You Tube trusted video source.
    In the next year the market is going to be flooded with social networking sites and video sharing site. This is just the begining and Goolge is positioned in the right space at the right time.

  8. mike says:

    The 45,000 bottle rockets clip is much better, but alas, there weren’t 45,000 vids removed from gootube.

  9. Angel H. Wong says:

    The corporate purge has begun, I wonder when will they’ll be implementing a “Everything you post will belong to us” in their TOS?

  10. Rich says:

    Much of the charm and attraction of YouTube is its clips of copyrighted material. If this persists and spreads I will have alot less reason to go there. I hope they don’t shoot themselves in the cyber foot.

  11. Rich Brill says:

    I agree Their is a charm, A personality if you will,
    However they are still breaking the law when the the self proclaimed producers
    use other peoples content without paying royalties or so much as a credit for the work they are stealing.


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