Youtube cracking down on channels that steal content (reuploads and compilations)

[Dan Robinson]

A little bit of good news on the Youtube front. Channels that steal content - either via straight reuploads or in compilations - are now being algorithmically demonetized. This is a huge development, marking the first time these problem channels have been systematically targeted. Here's a snippet of the notification that these channel owners get when this happens:

Your channel is out of compliance due to duplication. In most cases, you can’t reupload someone else's content unless you get permission first. Remember: It's not enough to credit the content owner or state that "no copyright infringement is intended."

For me, these channels have comprised 95% of my infringement mitigation efforts over the years in terms of man hours searching for reuploads, scanning compilations and filling out DMCA takedown forms. I have already seen a decline in the number of reuploads over the past few weeks.

This doesn't mean one can sit back and relax, but it should make dealing with this problem more manageable.

https://www.creatorshub.net/topic/1...ication-got-rejected-and-what-to-do-about-it/

There have been indications that even using too much Creative Commons, public domain or even properly-licensed content that is frequently posted on Youtube can trigger the duplication flag. Essentially, Youtube is trying to enforce a standard of original content on the platform.

The demonetization issue is still present, but has stabilized somewhat this year. If you have a channel that lost its monetization due to being below the view/subscriber threshold, it might be worth doing a little social media plugging of your channel - the benchmark really isn't that hard to reach if you're regularly uploading chase videos (at least once or twice a month).

The new benchmarks along with duplicate content enforcement means that there should be less competition for storm videos in general, which are good things for legit chaser videos. It might be a good time to revisit your channel if you gave up on it when last year's news came out.

Be sure to read about some of the things that can trigger demonetization in our earlier thread on that issue:

https://stormtrack.org/community/th...ation-for-storm-videos-not-april-fools.29621/

 

[Warren Faidley]

I just don't see the small financial rewards vs. time spent dealing with YouTube and offenders as positive income. I had multiple videos pulled because of "music copyright violations" although I owned the soundtracks via a lifetime license. I spent weeks trying to get a response. I don't believe any social media upload for profit schemes are a viable source of income vs. time and effort spent. It's only getting worse as more people pile on with high quality phone cameras. Even news footage is a lost cause unless you capture the only footage of something like a flying saucer hitting Mt. Rushmore. I believe the future of images and footage is going to be a free for all, where copyright laws are so diluted into "fair use" the only income will be bragging rights for about 30 seconds.

Edit: I should add that I've had three requests for footage and images over the last week and all of them wanted it for "free."

 

[Dan Robinson]

I've had a couple of videos hit by automated Content ID due to the company I bought my music tracks for being represented by one of the big digital clearinghouses. An email to the original company with a copy of my license quickly cleared those up.

Yes, dealing with the reuploaders has been a battle. I won't sugar coat it, it is maddening. But at least for me, the work has been worth it in the long run. Youtube may go away for me tomorrow with the next ad policy change, but right now it's been making up for a lot of the losses I've suffered on the stock and ENG side.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

I started putting a lot more effort into promoting and improving the production value on my YouTube train channel around 2012 when it first became eligible to monetize all uploads instead of just those few that were specially approved. Before long I was making about $2 a day on average with occasional spikes up to about $7-$10 on good days. This meant I was passing the $100 threshold and getting paid every other month.

However, it seemed the more effort I put in, the less return I got. Even though that channel now has 3,300 subscribers (almost twice as many as it did then) and averages about 17,000 views a month (not too shabby in the grand scheme of things), revenue is down to about $20 a month. I have created Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages associated with my channel to promote it, but sharing the video links on those doesn't provide any noticeable boost.

Railfanning is like storm chasing in the sense that it's a hobby, and any money you can recoup to even slightly offset the cost of gas, cameras, etc is just gravy. The minute you start trying to chase the dollar signs, it becomes a lot less fun.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Railfanning is like storm chasing in the sense that it's a hobby, and any money you can recoup to even slightly offset the cost of gas, cameras, etc is just gravy. The minute you start trying to chase the dollar signs, it becomes a lot less fun.

Agreed - video has done little over and above paying for my chasing, I'd be doing it regardless of its resulting income. I still have a normal career in IT/web and always will. "Profitable" years from chasing are hit and miss. The years I'm in the black are nice when they happen (aside from the tax bill), but I don't sweat it if they're not. But it's undeniable the impact that the modest monetization of video has had for me on my chasing. I've been able to chase 2 to 3 times more than I would have without it, as well as being able to afford better equipment.

 

[Dan Robinson]

It was also announced this month that Copyright Match, a basic form of Content ID, is being rolled out for all channels. Currently it is only available to larger channels, but is expected to be released for all channels eventually.

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7648743?hl=en-GB

I haven't yet received access to this yet, but this will be huge in the ability to manage reuploads!