Asian PandoraTV Eyes YouTube
567465
The successful South Korean online video portal prepares English, Chinese, and Japanese versions.
158651
YouTube founder Steve Chen said Thursday the Internet giant is testing video-fingerprinting technology to guard copyrights of material posted at its globally popular website.
684888
(InfoWorld) - A press advocacy group is "dismayed" about Google's decision to block YouTube videos from viewers in Thailand that are considered inappropriate or illegal by that Asian government. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), calling Google's reported agreement with the Thai government "a censorship deal," said on Wednesday that the move creates "a dangerous precedent, which could have global implications for freedom of expression." "There is a clear potential for abuse of people's right to information, which seems much more likely now [that] Google has demonstrated its willingness to collude with governments to effectively censor information," IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said in a statement. The Thailand Embassy in Washington, D.C., didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. On Friday and during the weekend, various news outlets reported from Bangkok that Thailand had lifted a five-month ban on YouTube for its residents after Google agreed to block videos the government finds objectionable. In an article posted Friday, the International Herald Tribune quoted Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, Thailand's minister of information and communications technology, as saying that YouTube had agreed to block clips deemed offensive to Thai culture or that violate Thai law. People accessing YouTube from outside of Thailand will be able to view the videos blocked in that country, the minister told the International Herald Tribune. Thailand blocked all access to Google's YouTube, the world's most popular video-sharing site, in early April after someone posted a video the government considered insulting to the country's king. YouTube is "pleased to hear" that access to its site has been reinstated in Thailand, a YouTube spokesman said via e-mail Wednesday. "We appreciate the constructive dialogue we have had with the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Ministry.Â YouTube remains committed to removing videos when they violate our content policies, and we will continue to work closely with authorities in Thailand," the YouTube spokesman wrote. YouTube has taken steps to make sure that its users in Thailand will not be able to access videos that have been identified as violating the country's laws, he confirmed. Asked if YouTube's parent company had any reaction to the IFJ's criticism, he said the question should answered by a Google official. At press time, no one from Google had responded to this question. Those found guilty of offending the monarchy face serious penalties in Thailand. Days before the YouTube incident, a Swiss national living in Thailand got slapped with a 10-year jail sentence for defacing images of the king. This is the latest incident in which Google and other providers of Internet services, such as Yahoo and Microsoft, find themselves criticized for censorship by human rights organizations, press advocacy groups, U.S. legislators, and shareholders. For example, several Internet companies have been criticized for agreeing to censor content in their China sites and search engines that the Chinese government finds objectionable. Yahoo in particular has been blasted often for cooperating with the Chinese governmentÂ and providing information that has led to the arrest of dissidents and journalists. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others invariably defend themselves saying that they must comply with the local laws of the countries in which they do business and that governments must collaborate to establish international standards of operation. "We always welcome constructive discussions with local governments around the world on similar issues. We are committed to addressing these questions in ways that both respect relevant laws and cultural concerns and are consistent with our global content policies," the YouTube spokesman wrote. When it comes to content that may break local laws, YouTube works with local authorities to resolve the issues. "We think this approach strikes the right balance betweenÂ freedom of expression and respect for local law," he wrote. Thailand recently introduced the Computer Crime Act, which gives authorities the power to seize the computers of people suspected of accessing or creating content deemed insulting or pornographic, according to the IFJ. Activist, social worker and webmaster Sombat Bun-ngam-anong is currently serving a 12-day detention order for alleged defamation for violating the Act, the IFJ said in Wednesday's statement. Also on Wednesday, Reporters Without Borders, another international press watchdog group, reported that a Thai blogger named Pichai has been reportedly detained for the past 12 days, also for violating the Act, which this group says took effect on July 18. The blogger's arrest "confirms our fears about the dangers of a law that is supposed to combat pornography but turns out to be a way of restricting and controlling press freedom," Reporters Without Borders charged.
286103
By CARL FREIRE TOKYO - Popular video-sharing Web site YouTube Inc. has agreed to post Japanese language warnings about respecting copyrights in an attempt to prevent users from uploading copyrighted materials, a Japanese entertainment body said.
34408
The British Broadcasting Corp. began showing excerpts from its news and entertainment programs on the YouTube video-sharing Web site Friday, becoming the first international broadcaster to ink a major deal with the Google Inc.-owned portal.
147172
TAIPEI, Taiwan - YouTube co-founder Steve Chen said on Saturday consumers in many parts of the world will have access to the popular video-sharing Web site on their mobile phones by next year.
383178
InfoWorld - The ability to view and upload videos to YouTube is coming to some LG Electronics cellphones later this year.
581511
US Internet search giant Yahoo has launched a video-sharing service in a move that it hopes will enable it to capitalize on a hot online trend being blazed by the popular young YouTube website.
47477
After taking the Internet by storm, soon YouTube will be available on televisions.
575772
Japan's prime minister has begun posting English-language messages on the video-sharing Internet site YouTube in an apparent bid to raise his country's international profile.
209987
New Zealanders will be among the first in the Asia Pacific region to access a new video-on-demand service over the internet. Anytime TV will deliver Hollywood movies, TV shows, popular music videos and premium games to broadband subscribers.
213534
Blog: YouTube partners with Hearst-Argyle to put TV on your PC.
470566
Japan's prime minister has begun posting English-language messages on the video-sharing Internet site YouTube in an apparent bid to raise his country's international profile
181273
(InfoWorld) - YouTube said it is ready to discuss copyright issues with some of Japan's largest producers of video content afterÂ they complainedÂ earlier this month about the amount of their material on the popular video Web site. A group of 23 Japanese entertainment industry associations and broadcasters sent a letter to YouTube management at the beginning of December demanding the site do more to stop users uploading copyrighted material. In the letter the groupÂ requested a reply by Dec. 15, and that arrived over the weekend. "They said they are considering visiting Japan to discuss the issue," said Satoshi Watanabe, manager of the transmission rights department at the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers. JASRAC sent the letter on behalf of the other companies and associations. The reply, which was signed by YouTube Chief Executive Officer Chad Hurley and Chief Technology Officer Steven Chen, also said YouTube is prepared to post a notice in Japanese to Japanese users of the site warning them against uploading copyrighted content, said Watanabe. At present YouTube presents a message in English only but the Japanese rights holders asked in their letter than a Japanese-language notice be posted on the site. YouTube also said it will improve its user authentication procedures, Watanabe said. He declined to provide a copy of the reply. JASRAC has sent the reply to the other 22 signatories of the original complaint. These include the Motion Picture Producers' Association of Japan Inc., the Japan Video Software Association, the Association of Japanese Animations, all of the major commercial TV broadcasters, the Japan Satellite Broadcasting Association, the Recording Industry Association of Japan and Yahoo Japan Corp. The group will likely hold a meeting later this week to discuss the reply and what to do next. The complaint was sent about two months afterÂ YouTube deleted almost 30,000 Japanese video clipsÂ on receipt of a complaint from rights holders in Japan. However almost immediately after the deletion new clips of TV shows, music videos and movies began appearing on YouTube. YouTube currently deals with copyright infringement issues by asking rights holders to send complaints in written form by postal mail, e-mail or fax with details of the clips said to infringe copyright, and other documents. The Japanese rights holders are calling for YouTube to create an alternative to this procedure that will utilize technology to identify infringing clips as they are uploaded or published. Â
708956
(InfoWorld) - A group of 23 Japanese entertainment industry associations and broadcasters has yet to receive a response from YouTubeÂ toÂ complaints raised earlier this monthÂ regarding copyright infringement on the popular online video site. The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) sent a letter with the signature of the 23 organizations to YouTube Chief Executive Officer Chad Hurley and Chief Technology Officer Steve Chen on Dec. 5, urging the company to take a more proactive approach in identifying and removing copyrighted material from the site. In the letter they asked for a reply no later than Dec. 15. "We haven't received a reply yet, but Dec. 15 has only just begun in the U.S.," said Kosuke Hayashi, a spokesman for JASRAC in Tokyo. "I don't think they'll ignore the letter and we might get something later in the [U.S. Pacific time] day." YouTube didn't respond late Thursday to a request for comment. Shortly after the letter was sent, YouTube confirmed in a brief statement that it had been received and was being reviewed. "Meanwhile we will continue to provide content companies in Japan and elsewhere with tools to easily notify us of unauthorized uses of their content so we can promptly remove it, in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act," it said. At present YouTube deals with copyright infringement by asking rights holders to send complaints in written form by postal mail, e-mail or fax with details of the clips claimed to infringed copyright and other documents. The clips are then deleted if the documents sent satisfy YouTube as to the infringement claims. In their letter the Japanese rights holders called on YouTube to create an alternative to this procedure that would in part utilize technology to identify infringing clips as they are uploaded or published. It followed theÂ deletion by YouTube of almost 30,000 video clipsÂ in October after a group of content companies complained to the site. However, no sooner had the clips been deleted than new ones began appearing on the site to take their place. YouTube has been growing in popularity among Japanese Internet users. This has surprised some observers as the site doesn't offer a Japanese language interface or instructions. As part of their request the rights holders want YouTube to post a message on its home page in Japanese that warns against uploading copyrighted content. In addition to JASRAC, the other names on the letter include the Motion Picture Producers' Association of Japan, the Japan Video Software Association, the Association of Japanese Animations, all of the major commercial TV broadcasters, the Japan Satellite Broadcasting Association, the Recording Industry Association of Japan and Yahoo Japan.
270789
The popular YouTube video website will soon be available directly through Apple's TV set-top box.
714466
(InfoWorld) - A broad group of companies and associations covering most of the Japanese entertainment industry is calling on YouTube to be more proactive in policing its Web site for copyrighted material. In a letter sent Monday to YouTube Chief Executive Officer Chad Hurley and Chief Technology Officer Steve Chen, the group requests YouTube start a system that proactively identifies and removes copyrighted material rather than making rights holders find it and send in complaints. "Taking into account the current status of your service, we believe that your company should not just wait for rights owners to take the 'Notice and Take down' procedures but should bear the responsibility to prevent, in advance, copyright infringements such as illegal uploads and distributions, or to avoid those infringements," said the letter, a copy of which was distributed to media Tuesday by the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC). Monday's letter is signed by JASRAC and 22 other organizations including the Motion Picture Producers' Association of Japan, the Japan Video Software Association, the Association of Japanese Animations, all of the major commercial TV broadcasters, the Japan Satellite Broadcasting Association, the Recording Industry Association of Japan, and Yahoo Japan Corp. It comes a month and a half afterÂ YouTube deleted 29,549 filesÂ based on a complaint filed by JASRAC. The association said the files in question infringed on the rights of 23 Japanese content companies. Neither that complaint or YouTube's action didn't stop users uploading content to the site, and plenty of clips from Japanese TV shows can again be found on YouTube. "We are seriously concerned about the current situation where the Notice and Takedown scheme, aimed [at preventing] copyright infringements, is not functioning well due to the large amount of illegal uploads," the letter said. "While we expect you to promptly take adequate and necessary measures to prevent copyright infringement on the YouTube Web site, until you do so, we request you to take provisional measures ... in order to prevent illegal uploads of audio-visual works, which copyrights are neither owned by the persons posting the works on the Web site themselves nor licensed by the right owners." The preventative measures requested by the group include the posting of a message in Japanese on the YouTube home page warning that posting copyrighted material can be illegal; that users may be liable to civil or criminal prosecution; and a register of names and addresses of users posting content and the termination on-request of user accounts that are used or have been used since June 2006 illegally to upload copyrighted material. The group also requests a reply to the letter by Dec. 15. YouTube could not be immediately reached for comment. Â