Copyright Infringement

Due to new and more widely available video production and editing technologies that are now in the hands of consumers, people can now more easily make content to post on the internet. However, It is sometimes hard for new content creators to begin a career on large platforms such as YouTube because of these companies’ severe copyright infringement policies. Despite the increased number of people with access to such programs, “grassroots producers who wish to participate in the culture of streaming depend on commercial social media sites for distribution” and can often find their content being removed due to YouTube and corporations citing copyright claims (Russo, 125). In many of these instances, the content would be protected under copyright law because such content would be classified as parodies or satire, but “YouTube and similar ventures face greater risks for hosting illegal content than for refusing to host content that is legal” (Russo, 125). This means that instead of taking the time to investigate and process all of the new content being uploaded to YouTube, YouTube instead “every incentive to reduce these risks by complying with the industry’s demands” and implement “automated filtering to flag potential copyright infringement” (Russo, 126). These policies are not good for content creators, as “such strategies make the derivative artworks hosted there vulnerable” to being removed for “vague violations of terms of service” (Russo, 126).

All is not lost for content creators, however, as “in opposition, policy initiatives in support of fair use, including the Center for Social MediaBs TCode of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video,X1 are making crucial interventions to protect the possibilities for queering both media form and media content. The compromises and constraints that structure the relationship between the media industry and fans are thus undergoing continual negotiation” (Russo, 126).

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXf14eX_9Fg[/youtube]