image credit https://imgur.com/gallery/AhpiX
This is an op-ed piece. I want to make this 100% clear and then after that I’m choosing not to defend myself about this any more, because people think that it’s okay to attack me on social media and on videos about how I chose to go about getting rid of content thieves.
There is a serious problem with the way content is created now on Twitch and YouTube, more so on YouTube. People will rip streams from Twitch and claim it as their own on YouTube. Literally rip streams in real time or even a VOD, and throw it up on YouTube to claim it as their own and reap the benefits of it by monetizing it.
This is where I have a problem, people think its okay to use my content without asking, sometimes not even giving me credit, and claiming its fair use. When I say that people are using my content without using it, I want to be clear that these aren’t Twitch Clips that are being shared (which I have no problem with), but giant chunks or even entire broadcasts of my streams. People using clips/highlights and talking about it or Top 8’s match analysis’ I take no issue with. But people that take entire sections of a broadcast and just re-upload it to their own YouTube channel, call it their own and claim “fair use”, that is not okay. What you are doing is not fair use:
“There is actually no silver bullet that will guarantee you are protected by fair use when you use copyrighted material you don’t own.” (via YouTube Fair Use)
My recommendation is to not use my content at all – at least not in the “let me take giant chunks of the stream and re-upload it” kind of way. If you want to do a play by play, talk about your own match that you had on my stream, or even just co-cast on Twitch I am perfectly fine with that, just simply ask me FIRST.
I produce streams and make content because I love what I do, and so does my team. We get paid to do what we do, and we upload that content later on YouTube after an event, whether its content that was aired on our channel or production we provided for another channel. What we don’t love to do is spend our time, hours to days, searching for people that take content we’ve produced, claim it as their own with monetization and act like that is okay. When that happens we have no choice but to put strikes into place. “But why don’t you just message me and ask me to take it down?”, we shouldn’t have to do that. Why do we need to spend time, messaging people and asking them to take down something that isn’t theirs to begin with? That shouldn’t be part of the job as a content creator, so from now on we’re going to leave it to our Multi-Channel Network (MCN) and YouTube to handle this. If you get a strike and feel its not fair, from now on just appeal it through YouTube. Spamming me or my team with messages, tweets, and emails, is not going to resolve anything any faster with us, it will now be handled through official YouTube channels. We no longer have sympathy for people that think that it is okay to steal our content.
People who don’t stream and produce the content we do, take what we do too lightly. We stream as a service as well as a labor of love, but if there was no stream how would you even know about said event/tournament/game? Is it okay for someone at your job to take all the credit for something that you worked really hard for? Is it okay if someone uses your work (not just video but other creative mediums) and calls it their own?
For other content creators that have been dealing with these issues as well, I’ve posted some videos on our Youtube about the this and encourage you to post your comments and thoughts, in a constructive way, about creating solutions to handle and fix this problem. I am always thankful for my team for all their hard work and support, its not just me that does all this. Also, I definitely have to say thanks to my MCN (BBTV) as well, as they have definitely help me tackle these issues when it comes to content being taken. Finally thanks to all of those who have supported and believed in me and the Bifuteki brand, your support has given us the strength and drive to never settle and to always move forward and upward.
