UNIVERSAL THREATENS YOUTUBE AND MYSPACE
Thisismoney reports that Universal Music had issued a veiled threat to YouTube and MySpace. Universal argues that the sites, which rely on ‘user generated content’ infringe copyright because music videos featuring their artists have been uploaded. Also, music by their artists has been used as background to some of the videos which have been uploaded. Universal argues that it is owed tens of millions of dollars. 'How we deal with these compa
nies will be revealed shortly’ said the Universal chief executive.The IPKat understands that copyright gives its owner the right to control the work at whim, but he’s having trouble seeing the lost revenue here. Are music videos a substitute for purely audio downloads? Would the individuals who upload their home-made movies really pay a licence fee to use music in their backgrounds?