Search Engine Land reports that ArsTechnica reports that the Computer & Communications Industry Association (an organization led by Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and other software vendors) has created the Defend Fair Use initiatve. They’d like the big media companies to recognize fair use in their copyright statements. One can call it AstroTurfing (though no one will, since people side with the software companies over media companies), but they do raise a good point (even if the slogan “Stand up for your RIGHT to use the content YOU PAY FOR” is illustrated by a couple cuddling– not standing up– on the couch). It’s such a good point, I think YouTube should take heed and listen!

When I uploaded a video to YouTube last week, I had to affirm one of two things. Either I was the owner of the video I was uploading, or that I had cleared it with the copyright owners. There was no option for fair use. (I did end up clearing it). So, in essence, Google/YouTube is perpetuating the lunacy that there’s no such thing as fair use. (They mention it in their copyright tips— which isn’t directly linked from the upload page.)

Here’s my proposed replacement copyright clearance form:

Certainly any video upload website should demonstrate good faith to the content owners, by ask their users to supply the broadcast details. If the users believe that they are supplying the content in good faith, they would fill this out. Under the current regime, copyyright fiends rip-off an entire Colbert Report and accompany it with antisemitic text (it’s 2 months later and the video remains up).