MPAA: embedding video can make you a pirate

11 Apr 12 19:08 by DoMiN8ToR in category Piracy

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By now, most people know that downloading a torrent of a copyrighted file usually means you are pirating. But those that simply embed a video should be warned from now on too. According to the MPAA embedding a copyrighted video equals piracy. Yes, you’ve read that right. In other words, the MPAA believes that there is no difference between having infringing content on your servers and embedding it.

A porn studio has sued a video hosting site for harboring illegal videos that users had uploaded and the case is now going to the appeals court. Earlier the judge ruled in favor of the porn studio. And now the MPAA has send a letter to the judges, stressing to stick with the ealier ruling. According to the MPAA there are a lot of sites are embedding copyrighted videos, make money of them with advertisements while having hardly any costs for e.g. hosting of the videos and licensing the content. In the MPAA’s view, anyone who has a website with an embedded link to infringing content and makes that content viewable to users, is infringing copyright in the process.

As there are many websites who make use of embedded content, that has not been screened by it’s owners, the current ruling could mean that website owners are as responsible for embedded content as much as content hosted on their servers.

11 Comments on MPAA: embedding video can make you a pirate

ivid: Posts: 722; Posted on: 11 Apr 12 19:46

While I think MPAA are scumbags etc.. of course websites are responsible for any content embedded in their web pages. It is the website author who consciously writes the code to embed the video link in their site. Just because the file isn't hosted by them, they aren't responsible ? That's ridiculous !

Drum: Posts: 202; Posted on: 11 Apr 12 20:24

If it was up to the MPAA and RIAA, movies and music would be pay-per-play. You pay a royalty every tiem you watch it, you would pay a very high tax on all recordable media (for the artists, wink, wink) and being in possession of a copy of a CD, DVD or music/video file would be a felony. They have tried to pay Congress to do these things....

geno888: Posts: 29213; Posted on: 11 Apr 12 22:34

What's next step? Require to pay royalties every time someone whistle a song?

SciFer: Posts: 254; Posted on: 12 Apr 12 00:23

OMG, I just thought of a song, who do I have to pay??!

ivid: Posts: 722; Posted on: 12 Apr 12 21:15

Drum, they tried that. It was called DIVX (not the same as the DivX we know today). Do you remember that ? It was 1998.

Lawyers came up with the concept: a DVD player that would dial up and log each time you watched a movie, so they could charge a royalty. It failed before it caught on.

CharmedonWB: Posts: 111; Posted on: 13 Apr 12 04:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivid

Yeah I think it was a Circuit City thing but it was just an alternative to rentals. It was unpopular and too expensive and thus it folded into the oblivion of history. Good call ivid...almost forgot about it.