Making copyright work on YouTube

My first visit to Sydney was in 2006, when I moved here with my wife and one-year-old son to live for six months. I returned again this past week, this time as a Senior Product Manager for YouTube, to meet with Australian media companies, and to speak at the Government's Realising our Broadband Future event.

It's only been 3 years since my last visit to Sydney, but in that short time, the way Australians watch video has changed dramatically. Today, more and more Australians are enjoying their favourite TV shows and video content on the Web. They're not just watching videos; they're also uploading their own, commenting, rating, and sharing their favorites. In fact, a recent demographic study of Australians on YouTube found that two out of three people do more than just watch a video; they're actively participating in the YouTube community.

As more users have headed online, so has more professionally-created video. Increasingly, major movie studios, record labels, and broadcast networks upload their content to YouTube to reach the millions of people on the site. In addition to uploading content themselves, content owners are using YouTube's sophisticated content management tools to identify their copyrighted content in user uploads. To our pleasant surprise, the vast majority decide to leave their content on YouTube and make money by allowing us to place ads next to it. I helped build our latest tool launched in 2007, called Content ID, which allows rights holders to block, track, or make money from their copyrighted content.

Copyright has proved to be one of the most difficult challenges online, but it's one that we're committed to solving through technology. After all, Google at its core is a technology company interested in organising the world's information. On YouTube, that means video but also the vast and often tangled web of global rights management.

Platforms like YouTube, and tools like Content ID, help Australians promote their content to a worldwide audience. Everyone from new bands to large broadcasters like the ABC can tap into the international reach of YouTube to find a new fan base for their videos and music. YouTube is truly the world's largest focus group, and I think that's an enormous opportunity for companies large and small.

I return to the U.S. today, but I'm excited to see what the online video landscape will look like on my next visit to Australia.

Posted by David King, Senior YouTube Product Manager