Copyright Battles Over the Newest Frontier: Viacom Vs YouTube

With the advent of the digital age comes a slew of legal battles over who gets to control it. Content providers, until the past decade, near-exclusive domain of record labels and other artist association-are battling it out with the new content distributors of the web: content hosting websites like YouTube and social networking sites like FaceBook being the new kids on the block. They offer the unique opportunity for an aspiring artist to put their name out by making licensing deals directly with aspiring movie producers. Here is a brief overview of the hottest legal battle fought between record labels and hosting sites, Viacom vs. YouTube, and what it means to the music producer seeking to license their music.

This becomes very interesting when you consider the consequences of what may occur. It could be disastrous for YouTube and sites such as Facebook and their many millions of users. It literally would result in an upturn in the Internet world and one that is not for the best. To gain a clear understanding of what is going on, read the following two paragraphs.

Viacom vs. YouTube: this 3 year legal battle has yet to reach a conclusion, though it will heat up soon as previously sealed evidence is released to the public. The details of the case are all over the internet, so we'll just summarize here: this is a fight over who is responsible for preventing copyright infringements on the web. If Viacom wins, YouTube will have to pay for all the infringements that its users have committed, and be legally responsible for future infringements. While this may seem like a victory for content producers-after all, they won't have to lift a finger to prevent infringements on the popular website-it could easily also lead to the downfall of YouTube or its destruction as a primary distribution medium. As you can see, this would be a disaster for inspiring artists and those that are interested in expressing themselves.

The strength of YouTube as a distribution medium is its low barrier to entry and its democratization of all aspects of video production, including music licensing. The expenses involved in hunting down every infringement would force it to levy charges on providers and ads on users, effectively negating these advantages. It would be the worst thing possible for an independently-minded artist seeking to license their music using this content giant.