Tokyo Friendfinder
The copyright-protection technology currently being trialled by YouTube has had a most unexpected result in the shape of an old-fashioned content owner embracing fan uploads to promote itself on the video-sharing site.
Japan’s Kadokawa Group, which owns various TV and film ventures, has been so impressed with YouTube Video Identification it has decided to use it to try to earn an extra buck.
Key to the tool is the fact that it can notify copyright holders when it thinks one of their videos has been uploaded and they then have control over what to do with it.
They can choose to delete it or let it stay on the site, in which case a copyright mark can be added automatically or advertising and links to places to buy full versions of the material slotted in.
Kadokawa’s CEO, Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, was unusually frank in explaining the sudden about-turn in attitudes to YouTube: “I used to think that we had to protect our content from being posted on websites because [it was] illegally used for free. But now YouTube can be a platform to recognize the right holders of user-uploaded images and [to] distribute part of the earned profit.”
If more companies follow Kadogawa’s lead, who knows - we might even see the return of a little commonsense to the space where the ‘net and movie/TV studios collide?
(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)
01:22 AM 
J Mark Lytle •
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Internet | Video 
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This is one of those great, yet unexpected, evolutions in technology as it relates to business. Copyright law hasn’t fundamentally changed, but the business realities of how to deal with copyright law are changing.
It’s interesting that this Japanese company has decided to monetize Youtube publicity rather than knee-jerk fight it. I wouldn’t be surprised if this type of behavior were the norm in the future- companies thinking of their material spreading on the Web as a good thing rather than simply a potential copyright infringement. Hopefully this will prompt companies to find a web developer to monetize their material rather than to find a lawyer to sue their potential customers.
If Google continues to help copyright owners control and profit from their material spreading on the Web like it’s doing with video identification technology, then its huge copyright liability when acquiring Youtube will transform into a huge asset.
Posted by Nick from Avvo on 08/06/06 at 01:49 AM -
The are only trying to save face because they know they have lost the copyright battle.
Posted by Pet Dog on 08/06/20 at 08:37 AM