Archive notice: This article was originally published on October 22, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
A number of US media companies have joined together to establish common copyright guidelines for user-generated content on the Internet. The consortium is led by Microsoft and Disney, which were able to bring further partners such as NBC Universal, CBS, News Corp. and Viacom on board. In the new copyright guidelines, the Internet groups represented commit themselves to using even more efficient filter systems in order to locate protected content more quickly. In return, the media representatives want to refrain from lawsuits against the Internet companies if illegally uploaded content should appear on their sites despite the filters used.
“Fundamentally, we consider this a step in the right direction. We therefore welcome it when rights holders and providers of UCG- portals agree on suitable measures to protect intellectual property,” Christian Sommer, Chairman of the German Society for the Prosecution of Copyright Infringements (GVU), tells pressetext.de. The GVU also believes that technical measures and the use of technical developments such as filtering and fingerprinting offer great potential to prevent copyright infringements fundamentally and especially with such offerings.
An alliance of so many large companies is unusual, but also not legally binding. Rather, the participating groups want to build mutual trust and set a directional sign, as people from informed circles suspect according to the Wall Street Journal. It is striking that Google has not joined the copyright community. Its video platform YouTube in particular has repeatedly been and remains the subject of criticism from media companies because of copyright infringements. In March of this year, Viacom filed a billion-dollar lawsuit against Google because content from the media group had been distributed illegally on the video platform.
Although the search-engine operator is said to have participated in the negotiations on the pact, it now appears to remain true to its own path. Only a few days ago, Google introduced a new filter system in order to be able to track down protected content on YouTube better. Although the software cannot prevent users from illegally uploading content, according to Google it is intended at least to help remove the content concerned within a few minutes.
Microsoft and Disney are apparently currently still in negotiations with further companies that could join the consortium later. In addition, it is also not completely ruled out that Google will return to the negotiating table once again, according to the informed circles. At present, however, the participating groups are instead expressing surprise that Google launched its new filter system just a few days before the copyright pact was announced.