The internet has given rise to creators of all kinds. Artists and content creators here in New York and elsewhere can distribute their work easily and inexpensively with the assistance of sites like YouTube. However, the site has come under fire in recent years for facilitating copyright law violations, according to critics. YouTube recently responded by making it easier for users accused of copyright infringement to remove content associated with a copyright claim, even it’s just a small portion of a longer video.
YouTube created a tool called Assisted Trim. If some person or company makes a copyright claim in regard to a portion of a video, the user who owns the video can use Assisted Trim to easily clip out that part. This is especially useful in cases where someone may be filming a video and a song or other media can be heard or seen briefly in the background. What’s even more helpful is that if the user clips out the claimed piece of video, the copyright claim in YouTube is immediately released.
For now, Assisted Trim can only be used on videos under six hours in length, but it can be used in more than once place in the same video. YouTube also plans to give users more insight about the origination of the copyright claim as well as other helpful information. The hope is that this new tool will not only make it easier for users to keep their content while complying with the law, but reduce copyright claims that need review by YouTube staff.
Even with YouTube making the effort to assist creators in this way, there are still several concerns with how artists’ works may be used without their permission in violation of copyright law. Those artists here in New York who want to protect their creations may want to consult an attorney with specialized knowledge of this area of the law. Artists deserve fair compensation for their work and copyright law can help them achieve that.