How does youtube work, ethically?

[Bookcat]

You’ve stated the idea behind the law, which I don’t question. I personally do oppose IP. But even if there is IP I disagree with the characterization of violation of it as theft.

*Theft *has to do with the *usurping *another’s property contrary to their reasonable will.

Which one can imagine can be done in various ways.

 

[Usagi]

There’s really only one way: if YouTube hasn’t taken it down, it’s been ok’ed.

Or it just hasn’t been noticed yet. I’ll admit I’ve listened to audiobooks and watched old childhood TV shows/cartoons that someone uploaded to YouTube … and I’ve literally seen things disappear due to copyright violation while I was in the middle of them. Other stuff that is clearly up there illegally stays up for years. It’s not an instantaneous or certain process. Indeed, I mostly hear about the super-fast automated takedowns when that system is abused to harass big-time YouTubers who review video games or movies, even though what they do is entirely legal.

 

[Bookcat]

Or it just hasn’t been noticed yet. I’ll admit I’ve listened to audiobooks and watched old childhood TV shows/cartoons that someone uploaded to YouTube … and I’ve literally seen things disappear due to copyright violation while I was in the middle of them. Other stuff that is clearly up there illegally stays up for years. It’s not an instantaneous or certain process.

Right. Hence the questions posed here.

Youtube explains what and how things can be taken down.

 

[edwest2]

Just because something can be turned into digital bits does not make it any less tangible. I have to pay to make something, along with my talent, and I own the copyright and I have the sole right to determine how my song, my video, etc. gets distributed. If a song gets played on the radio, there is a legal document that says the copyright owner gets paid every time the song is played. That does not have to be the case on youtube, which is a content distributor. jk-56z-t uploads a song to youtube and the copyright owner gets nothing.

And nothing is the only price some people will pay.

Ed