Hey Universal, Leave Beato alone!
This is one of the latest videos I’m posting from YouTube regarding the overzealous and unfair treatment many YouTubers are getting, including one of my favorites, Rick Beato. What is so insane is that all his videos fall under the Fair Use Act, which makes the incessant emails from Universal, all the more incredible and irritating.
For instance, Rick interviews a member of a band. During said interview, they will play a segment of a hit from the entertainer’s repertoire. It’s their own music. Yet, despite that fact, Rick and others like him will still get a threatening email asking them to either take down the “illegal” video or have a strike on their record. And mind you, if you get three strikes on your YouTube record, your channel is permanently removed.
In Rick’s case, he had to hire a full-time lawyer to fight against these absurd claims. Insane, no? But most content-creators can’t afford to do this and there certainly isn’t enough time in their day to try and defend themselves, even though in the majority of circumstances, they are in the right. Thus, not having the time to defend each and every supposed offense, they have no choice but to take down their content.
Many question that if Universal and other companies can threaten you, then hold you accountable/responsible for proving your innocence, shouldn’t they be held equally accountable for instigating bogus copyright claims and wasting their victim’s time? Seems fair and equitable to me. After all they are costing YouTube account holders, valuable time and money.
The epidemic of unjust copyright claims is severely hurting creators on YouTube, large and small. Powerful studios are becoming more and more greedy and are willing to abuse the copyright system for monetary gain. To this day, YouTubers are facing an uphill battle for their right to claim “fair use” on videos that contain copyrighted material.
Eric Miller
Youtube’s abusive copyright claim problem
YouTubers voice concerns over hefty Universal Pictures copyright strikes
Universal Music’s Copyright Claim: 99 Problems And Fair Use Ain’t One