Google prohibits YouTube conversion services
Google, the owner of YouTube, is sending letters to websites that allow users to take content from YouTube. These websites convert YouTube movies to MP3 audio files and allow users to download the MP3s to their computer. Google asks the websites to stop offering these services, because this conduct violates YouTube's Terms of Service and the API Terms of Service. The API Terms of Service prohibit applications from web developers to "seperate, isolate or modify the audio or video components of any YouTube audiovisual content made available through the YouTube API". Google theatens with "legal consequences" if websites continue to violate these terms.
One of the websites that received a letter from Google is Youtube-mp3.org. Every day, 1.3 million users convert YouTube movies to MP3 files with this popular website. Now, Google blocked all of the Youtube-mp3.org servers from accessing YouTube and all conversion functionality is disabled. According to Philip, the owner of Youtube-mp3.org, Google is not interested in finding a solution that is in the interest of all 200 million people across the world that make use of YouTube conversion services. "Google doesn't just ignore all those people, they are about to criminalize them." he says on his website.
It's not the first time that measures are taken against conversion websites. Last year, major recording labels like Universal, EMI, Sony, Warner and many others sued free online file conversion site TubeFire for copyright infringement. TubeFire took precautionary steps and terminated their service after receiving the complaint. Record companies will probably welcome Google's attempt to stop other conversion services.
Nonetheless, the legal question whether this type of service constitutes an infringement of copyright law remains open. The question whether it is a breach of Google's Terms of Service is a second question. Google is no stranger when it comes to copyright issues, though. Several times, the company has been accused for copyright infringement itself. Viacom sued Google for copyright infringement on YouTube. According to Viacom, YouTube did nothing to prevent users from uploading copyrighted videos, amongst others episodes of SpongeBob and South Park.
Also, the Google Books project is involved in several lawsuits. In both cases, the court hasn't decided yet if Google is liable for copyright infringement. In April, the German Court ruled that YouTube was responsible for copyrighted content on the website. YouTube should have removed the videos after a request of GEMA, a German collecting society and the rightholder of the videos.
Read more about copyright infringements on YouTube on FutureOfCopyright.com:
Source: TorrentFreak
By: Marjolein van der Heide
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