Google Unveils YouTube Copyright Filter to Mixed Reviews:

Google's announcement Monday it was deploying a beta test of copyright protection filters for its popular YouTube video-sharing site was met with mixed reviews.

The video-filtering system is a database full of copyrighted videos that will match a video loaded to the YouTube site.

Copyright owners get the right to add advertising to the video or request the content be taken down under the 'Video Identification' program, which requires copyright holders to help Google create the database.

Content uploaders will be automatically notified that a copyright holder alleges the work is infringing. The uploaders still have the opportunity to keep the content on the site, which the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires.

'It will help copyright holders identify their works on YouTube, and choose what they want done with their videos: whether to block, promote, or even—if a copyright holder chooses to license their content to appear on the site—monetize their videos,' said David King, YouTube's project manager.

Digital rights groups weren't so gleeful.

'While Google should be commended for its effort, we don't think that any automated process will be able to determine whether a consumer's fair use rights are being violated,' said Gigi B. Sohn, the president of Public Knowledge.

Washington, D.C.-based copyright attorney Jonathan Band disagreed.

'It sounds like it's a logical way to try to balance the needs of users and copyright holders,' Band said. 'I think it provides the user an early warning that what they are doing might be a problem.'

Google's move is in response to several lawsuits, including one from Viacom, alleging it's YouTube site is riddled with copyrighted works.

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• Legal Titans Glare At Each Other Across Google-Viacom Battlefield

(Read Original Article - Via Threat Level.)