MySpace has launched a copyright protection software for video content that prevents users from re-posting video clips that have been removed from the website at copyright-holders’ request.

“We have created this new feature to solve a problem that has long frustrated copyright holders and presented technical challenges to service providers,” said Michael Angus, executive vice president and general counsel for Fox Interactive Media–the division of parent company News Corp. that includes MySpace.

The new copyright technology, called “Take Down Stay Down”, is alerted upon a copyright owner’s request to remove a video clip, takes a digital fingerprint of the video and adds it to a copyright filter.

“If any user tries to upload the same content that has been removed, the filter will recognize the digital fingerprint and block the content from being uploaded,” MySpace said in a release.

MySpace said its “Take Down Stay Down” feature is offered free to all copyright owners.

Prior to this technology, the company has several other copyright protection tools. These include:

• Audio filtering, which screens audio files uploaded by users to hinder any unauthorized music uploads and is offered free to all music copyright owners.
• Video filtering, which screens video files uploaded by users to hinder any unauthorized video uploads. MySpace’s launch of video filtering earlier this year made MySpace the largest web video site to offer free video filtering to copyright owners.
• Content Take Down Tool, which is an automated tool that makes it easier and more efficient for copyright owners to request removal of any user-posted content they claim is unauthorized.

Google, for its YouTube likewise announced at its shareholders’ quarterly meeting that it would be testing out a set of tools called “Claim Your Content,” which would similarly automate the takedown process.

However, some digital freedom experts are concerned that an automated system may end up being too rigid that some content may be unduly blocked.

In response, MySpace claimed that it would be highly unlikely that content would mistakenly wind up in the filter in the first place, and that if it did, it would be removed.

Related:

Entry was posted on Friday, May 11th, 2007 at 6:58 pm under Technology, YouTube.

Read more entries by Ruben Francia.
Stumble It!