YouTube Is the Latest to Defend Users from Ridiculous Copyright Claims | Motherboard

"On Thursday, Google announced a new program that would take steps to protect YouTube video creators from overly aggressive copyright claims. Under this program, Google will select examples of legally protected 'fair use' videos and agree to pay to defend those videos in copyright lawsuits. That means if Google is asked to remove a video for copyright infringement that it believes is legal, it will not only refuse to remove the video, but will also pay the video maker’s legal costs to defend their right to publish it. The program is launching with four videos, ranging from a criticism of a political hearing to a UFO-debunking tutorial. The New York Times described the arrangement as an 'unusual step of financially supporting YouTube creators so they can fight back.' But it’s really not so unusual. It’s the latest step forward—though a massive step forward, to the tune of $1 million per video—of giving internet users back their legal rights in the face of a copyright content industry often determined to take those rights away ..."