The video-sharing website YouTube is the third most popular site on the Internet, streaming a staggering four billion videos every day. That popularity, however, is not all wine and roses and piano-playing cats. Of those four billion YouTube videos viewed daily, many are copyrighted material provided by media businesses for people to view on YouTube. Record labels, television networks, and movie studios are not particularly happy about all this copyright violation among YouTube users. As a result, YouTube is stepping up their efforts to prevent copyright infringement – and their first target is a slew of websites that provide a YouTube to MP3 converter.
The first site YouTube took action against was clip.dj, a free YouTube to MP3 converter site that voluntarily shut itself down in late June. YouTube, owned by Google, also sent a cease-and-desist letter to one of the biggest MP3 conversion site, YouTube-MP3.org. According to Google’s own DoubleClick statistics, YouTube-MP3.org had been pulling in 1.3 million visitors each day – and YouTube felt most were making illegal MP3 rips of copyrighted music videos.
That said, if you want to convert YouTube video to MP3 files, you can do so provided that the material is not copyrighted and you are only using the MP3 file for your own personal use.
YOUTUBE-MP3.ORG STOPS CONVERTING VIDEO TO MP3 FILES
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When YouTube served a cease-and-desist order to YouTube-MP3.org the site was given seven days to comply and in the meantime YouTube blocked YouTube-MP3.org’s servers from being able to access the site. Currently, YouTube-MP3.org is not converting any video to MP3s. Any attempt to create an MP3 file on the site generates an error message reading “Google Inc. doesn’t want you to convert this video. Please sign a petition to change their mind.” The error message is followed by a link to a Change.org petition, which currently has over a million signatures.
This is not an isolated incident. Just days later, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) asked the popular site Download.com to remove all downloads for video to MP3 software. The RIAA released a statement complaining that, “Download.com continues to ignore our requests,” and that “Download.com is profiting from this infringement through advertisements and other ways it derives revenue when people use the site to download these applications.” Download.com has not heeded the request, arguing that many of their users are utilizing these software products for legal and non-infringing purposes.
Coincidentally, Download.com is owned by CNET, which is owned by CBS. Copyright pirates could theoretically steal copyrighted CBS television shows on the company’s YouTube channel using tools they downloaded from a CBS-owned property.
It’s important to remember that many uses of copyrighted material are considered legal under the fair use doctrine to U.S. copyright law. The fair use doctrine makes exceptions for non-infringing purposes like news reporting, research, education — or just for laughs. Consider YouTube’s first big legal copyright challenge, a 2007 video of a baby dancing to the Prince song “Let’s Go Crazy”. Universal Music Group, the copyright holder of that hit song, sued the baby’s mom for copyright violation. A judge ruled in favor of the mom and the baby, citing fair use, and the video’s view counter went from just 28 views to more than a million.
What do you think about converting videos to MP3? Were you aware of the copyright issues? Let us know in the comments below.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
very good
How is this different from taping a television broadcast with a DVR – which is fair use? If copyright owners do not want people to download their content from YouTube then they shouldn’t post it to YouTube. Alternatively, YouTube should stream their content in a non-downloadable format.
@ Wonderworld… I’m no lawyer, but I think the “use” in “fair use” means using the work of art in some way other than just looking at it or watching it. You can watch a show you’ve DVRed, but if you post it to YouTube then you have “used” it in some active capacity. I think?
I dont know guys….kinda a hard call here
I think that fair use …is fair use and that google, record companies, etc should back off! They want money for everything! Before you know it this is what they will do!
If I download the video to my computer and then fly to South America and show it to a guy that lives deep in the jungle….they will want that guy to pay for it too! These copy right infringements have gone too far! Give me a break!
Who is google to tell me my rights. They don’t own the US so they need to mind their own business
This is bad…we should have a freedom for downloading what we want and not to download what does google inc wants…Googgle inc you don’t have control over us
Really interesting!!
This is very helpful post. More interesting word you say more traffic you will get from your comment.
will this be resolved anytime soon ,
I just love dowloading my fav tracks for my own listening pleasure
I understand both angles. I definitely support buying music to support the artists, it’s why I use iTunes and Amazon. Problem for me comes when I can’t do that. I stumble upon a lot of songs that aren’t available for purchase, so what choice do you have for songs like that besides youtube converters?
I understand why Google is doing this, but man is it inconvenient. Strangely enough, I’m actually trying to convert my OWN recorded material from Youtube for a Web Design assignment I have. Sigh…
I found that some time ago I was unable to copy any of my nephews vids ( Shanedawsontv) to my macs – no matter what I did – even contacting real player – helped – so I came to the conclusion that google has blocked me over copyrights – wonder share did not work eather – changes are taking place and we must accept them – even QuickTime doesn’t work right so I gave up on keeping a record of my nephews work .
i dislike the fact that they take the video converters but not the torrent sights where r u really losing money??????????????????????
Hi, I’m not quite sure what the issue is and would really like to help. Please send an email to help@real.com and provide more details about the issue, so that we can better assist you. Thanks!
Thank you. I use you tube mp3 download for my personal use and find it really good. It will be disappointing if I cannot continue to do so. As I am 70 years of age my preferences tend to be with classical and the “older” artistes, many of which I can still download. Is there an alternative download method.
Many Thanks
Thank you. I use you tube mp3 download for my personal use and find it really good. It will be disappointing if I cannot continue to do so. As I am 70 years of age my preferences tend to be with classical and the “older” artistes, many of which I can still download. Is there an alternative download method.
Many Thanks
nice post. This is a video sharing website.
I will set the record straight for you then. It is okay to copy a song off of YouTube, as long as it’s only going to be for personal use only. The fair use act that was established, specifically says that an individual is allowed one copy for personal use only. Think of it this way. When you record a TV show with your VCR, or DVR, you are then creating one copy for your use. It does not become illegal until you start distributing that show, or music for profit, or non profit use. Just the act of distribution is where it officially becomes illegal.
Now don’t worry, you are not going to get in trouble for showing your own mother in your house hold or any thing. The music industry is not concerned about small potatoes like that. And technically a Court is going to consider people that live under the same roof as one anyways. But don’t send it to your girl friend / boy friend out side of your roof. (The copy you made, stays in your home.)
This is why YouTube offers the URL of the video. And this is why that respectable programs like Real Player, allow single button downloads of any video on YouTube.
Making a copy of a YouTube video, is no different than making a copy of your favorite TV show on your DVR, or VCR. As long as it’s for →YOU←!!!
Also, just to give you extra comfort, this is why Windows Media Player on your computer is able to rip the songs off of your own Cd’s.
PS. I am not a lawyer, or an attorney. (This is just well reserched information.) And only applies to the laws of the United States.
>>NOTICE>DISCLAIMER
Huh, I didn’t know that. I’ll go through my songs and delete those right now. After all, those people worked hard make those songs or videos and deserve to get paid for it.
Its bull converting is legal on the basis that youtube put it in public forum that means all copyright laws are null and void public forum means that its for use its like saying using a cd to move a music file to a MP3 is illegal its not or sending via bluetooth
I dont pay to watch youtube there is no difference between me playing the video through my headphones or just the audio. You dont hear porn stars bitching about people downloading videos for free
With my luck the next president will be the CEO of Google.