User-generated content: rarely what it says on the tin
That user-generated content and citizen journalism are big issues for the media industry is beyond doubt. Citizen journalism is almost certainly here to stay. Ordinary people who just happen to find themselves in the middle of a story are bound to occasionally capture footage before any professional has a chance to jump in the car.
User-generated content is set to have a rougher ride. Sites like YouTube may occasionally give minor MPs a chance to show themselves up, but the majority of the content would struggle to get on already tedious, long running viewer-generated TV shows like You’ve been framed!
Where YouTube really comes alive is in giving access to your favourite pop videos or offering an opportunity to catch-up with last night’s Daily Show. But all this is someone else’s expensively and professionally produced content. While the Daily Show appears to tolerate the copyright infringement, recognising the benefit YouTube publicity brings, FoxNews was terribly embarrassed when President Clinton took them apart and tried to stop distribution.
On that occasion FoxNews was defeated, but its little surprise to hear that Universal is preparing to sue. Perhaps hoping to set a couple of legal precedents, they’re starting with lesser known video sharing sites like Grouper who probably can’t afford to defend themselves.
Maybe the answer is to create a system similar to that operated by the Performing Rights Society, which calculates the royalty due to artists from having their works played in public places like pubs, shops and cafés. That would allow copyright owners to be paid each time a user generates some content based on their work. That may mean fees, but not necessarily. YouTube is a for-profit business, not a charity. Another creator of user-generated content acquired by Google, Blogger, encourages (but no longer forces) users to put ads on their blogs and shares the revenue. It seems fair to share the profit with the real creators of the content, who are rarely ordinary users.
Contact Stephen Newton
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