By Stevie Smith Jun 12, 2007, 13:07 GMT
The continuing contention surrounding YouTube’s reticence to implement a fully-fledged security system specifically designed to prevent copyrighted material from being posted on its pages looks set to take a significant twist this week with news that the video-sharing service is about to test a new video identification tool.
Google-owned YouTube has revealed that it will soon begin testing of a brand new video ID tool on its site in conjunction with the world’s largest media and entertainment conglomerate Time Warner Inc. and entertainment giant The Walt Disney Company.
YouTube executives yesterday explained to the Reuters news agency that the new "finger-printing" technology, which has been created by YouTube’s engineering staff, will enable movie studios and television broadcasters to better identify copyrighted video content uploaded by YouTube users without the prior consent of the individual copyright holder.
Chris Maxcy, director of YouTube’s partner development, has commented that an audio variable of the new finger-printing technology has already been tested by Google Inc. throughout 2007 alongside certain music studios. In relation to catching unallowed video clips however, YouTube’s product manager, David King, has intonated that, when running perfectly, the finger-printing technology could well be implemented in order to block the uploading of any copyrighted material.Time Warner and The Walt Disney Company have agreed to join up with YouTube in testing the new technology, and, while Chris Maxcy admitted that "there are a couple" of other potentially interested media players looking at the finger-printing tool, he maintained that YouTube was not able to reveal them at the current time. Maxcy also noted that Google plans to introduce other security aspects to the technology in order to increase the rate of location associated with copyright-infringing material on its YouTube service.
The identification tool won’t necessary be used as a way to instantly cull copyrighted content from YouTube, though that remains a possibility, but rather as a way for media owners to better gauge how much of their material is being posted when entering into mutually-beneficial advertising deals with YouTube whereby content exposure is allowed for a share of the service’s related revenue.
YouTube has said that its new video finger-printing technology, which recognises specific ingrained elements in video clips, will be ready for proper testing some time in July.
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