YouTube will provide legal aid of up to $1 million to creators whose videos have been taken down due to copyright infringement, but which the online video platform considers a clear example of fair use.
"More than 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Some of those uploads make use of existing content, like music or TV clips, in new and transformative ways that have social value beyond the original (such as a parody or critique)," Fred von Lohmann, YouTube copyright legal director, said in a blog post.
"In the US, this activity is often protected by fair use, a crucial exception to copyright law which can help discussion and creativity across different mediums to continue flourishing."
In South Africa, the doctrine of fair dealing allows copyrighted works to be used for criticism, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.
"YouTube will now protect some of the best examples of fair use on YouTube by agreeing to defend them in court if necessary," says Lohmann.
YouTube hopes to create a 'demo reel' over time that showcases the best examples of fair use, to develop best practices and show what fair use looks like online.
"While we can't offer legal protection to every video creator ?or even every video that has a strong fair use defence... we believe even the small number of videos we are able to protect will make a positive impact on the entire YouTube ecosystem," says Lohmann.
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