As you watch this short (< 6 minute) TED talk by former head of YouTube user experience team Margaret Gould Stewart, think about these questions:
1. How can YouTube identify infringing videos so darn quickly?
2. What happens when an infringing video is detected?
3. What possible benefits might there be for a rightsholder--and for culture in general--when infringed content is posted on YouTube, and how does YouTube ensure that these benefits arise in accordance with the law?
We get this question from time to time:
"Is it copyright infringement to use software to rip audio from a YouTube video and convert it to mp3?"
Well, if it's your video and your audio, of course, or if you have permission from the rightsholder, no problem. But more often than not, this question is asked in the context of engaging in this activity in lieu of just paying for the song on iTunes or Amazon MP3 or some other licensed pay service. Long story short, if it's not your music, if you don't have express permission to copy, and if you're just doing it to get around having to pay $1.29 for it on iTunes, yes, it's infringement.
Another question that occasionally arises:
"Is is considered infringement just to watch video on YouTube that's been illegally uploaded?"
This is actually a good segue into our general piracy FAQ...