A Tech Crunch blogger received a C&D notice from YouTube over his propagation of a tool that allows downloading of YouTube videos, as opposed to just streaming them. YouTube asserts that this violates its terms of use.

The recipient questions the validity of the C&D, on both contract and copyright grounds, also noting that "the irony of YouTube accusing others of copyright infringement is delicious."

This is, of course, only one of a whole snake's nest of copyright issues surrounding YouTube, but it is a serious one. Copyright holders might be persuaded to allow material to be posted on to YouTube with a time limit on the theory that this is advertising -- people will see it, want to own it permanently, and buy it. But if the stream can be captured -- and a lot of tools for this are available -- the prospective purchase goes out the window and YouTube becomes a new and more efficient Napster.

As we keep saying around here, our problem is with the tech community and content fans who do not regard such problems as being their problems. If people cannot make money out of creativity, they will create less. So the fans will have a capability to download material, but there will be nothing worth downloading, unless one is a fan of gross-out sophomores.

Why is this somehow the problem of the content creation companies exclusively? I think it is a problem for ME, and for the artists and creators.

posted by James DeLong @ 10:50 AM | Internet: P2P, Search Engines...

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