YouTube to pay defense costs for some video creators facing takedown demands
Seeking to protect the free speech rights of video creators, and perhaps its own market share as well, YouTube announced Thursday that it is funding legal defense costs for a handful of video creators facing unreasonable takedown demands.
“We want, when we can, to have our users’ backs,” Fred von Lohmann told the New York Times (reg. req.). He serves as YouTube’s legal director for copyright.
“We believe even the small number of videos we are able to protect will make a positive impact on the entire YouTube ecosystem,” von Lohmann said.
The company said it focused on fair use law in determining how to allocate its defense efforts, Although it is starting small, it may later expand the legal defense program.
Legal director Corynne McSherry of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said unreasonable takedown demands are a growing problem, the newspaper reports.
“It’s become incredibly easy to take down legitimate content, and we need a counterbalance to that situation,” she said. Hence, the digital rights group is pleased to hear that YouTube is stepping into the breach.
