Viacom, Microsoft and other media companies unveils copyright guidelines just as earlier reports have indicated. Here is the formal declaration from Viacom, which sounds like a joint leader in the pack with Microsoft. Internet and Media Industry Leaders Unveil Principles to Foster Online Innovation While Protecting Copyrights. LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK-October 18, 2007 -Several of the world’s leading Internet and media companies today announced their joint support for a set of collaborative principles that enable the continued growth and development of user-generated content online and respect the intellectual property of content owners.
The principles serve as a comprehensive set of guidelines to help user-generated content (UGC) services and content creators work together towards their collective goal of bringing more content to more consumers through legitimate channels. The principles acknowledge a collective respect for protecting copyrights and recognize that filtering technologies must be effective and are only a part of what is necessary to achieve this goal.
The companies supporting these principles include CBS Corp., Dailymotion, Fox Entertainment Group, Microsoft Corp., MySpace, NBC Universal, Veoh Networks Inc., Viacom Inc. and The Walt Disney Company.
The principles, which are attached and available in full at www.ugcprinciples.com, call for a broad range of constructive and cooperative efforts by copyright owners and UGC services. They include:
- Implementation of state of the art filtering technology with the goal to eliminate infringing content on UGC services, including blocking infringing uploads before they are made available to the public;
- Upgrading technology when commercially reasonable;
- Cooperating to ensure that the technology is implemented in a manner that effectively balances legitimate interests, including fair use;
- Cooperation in developing procedures for promptly addressing claims that content was blocked in error;
- Regularly using the technology to remove infringing content that was uploaded before the technology could block it;
- Identification and removal of links to sites that are clearly dedicated to, and predominantly used for, the dissemination of infringing content; and,
- Promotion of content-rich, infringement-free services by continuing to cooperatively test new technologies and by collaboratively updating these principles as appropriate to keep current with evolving developments.
The ease of uploading video content on the Internet has led to the creation of millions of original works by new creators – works that range from scripted programs, to virtuoso musical performances and to humorous skits and social parody. It also has resulted in the proliferation of uploaded content that infringes copyrighted works.
The companies backing these principles believe that they can collectively find a path that fosters creativity while respecting the rights of copyright owners. Distributors of copyright-infringing content stifle both technological innovation and artistic creation in ways that ultimately will hurt the consumer and hinder the digital economy.
These principles also reflect a strongly-held commitment to work cooperatively and constructively across industries to address the challenge of developing new modes of distribution while protecting intellectual property and, with a shared goal of promoting a rich, legitimate, and compelling environment for consumers of online content. While the supporters‘ current practices may not strictly adhere to each and every principle, they are all committed to fully implementing these principles by year‘s end.
The companies believe that adopting such principles is essential to achieving the enormous potential opened up by the Internet through UGC services. Widespread adoption of these principles will encourage innovation, enable new creative expression and further the goal of eliminating infringing content from UGC services. It will allow innovative business models to develop. Most importantly, it will benefit consumers by encouraging further cooperation between the creators of content — from the largest entertainment company to the individual artist — and the companies that distribute their works.
The supporters urge others to embrace these principles. While recognizing that adhering to these principles may require each company to yield some from positions it has held, at the end of the day the supporters believe all will benefit from such compromise. The supporters look forward to further discussions with other parties to attain their support.
More at Viacom and at UGC Principles
