Online social-networking site MySpace announced it will work with Audible Magic Corp to block video clips containing copyrighted materials on the MySpace website.
MySpace said it will experiment with a video-filtering system it licensed from Audible Magic Corp last year. The video filtering system works like a unique digital fingerprint, scanning video clips in search of signature vectors to compare with vectors stored in a database. Videos can be blocked from appearing on MySpace if a match is discovered.
"MySpace needs to protect themselves," noted Lance Cassidy, director of sales for XTube.com, an uploading site for videos containing adult content. "The user-submitted business model is under attack from copyright holders, and I suspect MySpace is waiting for a ruling before they get their fingers dirty."
Clifton Hatfield, an administrator for GayWatch—a MySpace-like website for the gay population—concurred with Cassidy. "It's clear that MySpace.com has had its share of negative press and exposure with respect to many of the unfortunate events that have been found to be linked to personal meetings via their site," Hatfield said. "So, it comes as no surprise to us that MySpace.com is especially going out of their way to prevent future problems of any kind. We believe that copyright is the least of what MySpace.com needs to worry about. But, they're certainly addressing the copyright issue as best they can as we are. Their software solution is probably their only solution."
The video system supplements the audio filtering MySpace already has in place to block unauthorized music uploads. In the video-filtering pilot, MySpace said it would block unauthorized videos and other clips containing Universal Music Group's music, while still allowing the Vivendi SA unit and its artists to circulate promotional audio and video they authorize. MySpace, a unit of News Corp., said the tools would be available for free to other content owners, as well.
MySpace still encourages people to upload their videos and music to the website, just not copyrighted material.
