Anti-piracy technology could hurt YouTube

LOS ANGELES — A technology designed to detect copyright material could give YouTube a needed dose of legal legitimacy and calm any concerns Google Inc. has about spending $1.65 billion on the Internet video site. But that same technology could hurt YouTube’s edgy appeal.

While YouTube is known as the place to find almost any kind of video clip, recent agreements with high-profile content creators require YouTube to deploy an audio-signature technology that can spot a low-quality copy of a licensed music video or other content. YouTube would have to substitute an approved version of the clip or take the material down automatically.

Analysts said that stepped-up monitoring by entertainment companies raises the likelihood that YouTube fans won’t find what they’re used to getting — and will go searching for the next online video rebel.

“There’s very little that holds YouTube’s audience to YouTube except the belief that whatever they want to see, there is a very good chance YouTube will have it,” said Joe Laszlo, senior analyst with Jupiter Research.

“If the video migrates to other places, I fear the audience will too, so YouTube needs to be really careful about how it does this,” he said.

YouTube offers a gold mine of clips depicting all manner of amateur hijinks and tons of unauthorized commercial videos. Kevin Davis, a 16-year-old from Torrance, Calif., likes to peruse YouTube for music videos by R&B singer Chris Brown and rappers Lil Wayne and The Game.

“I find what I’m looking for most of the time,” he said.

YouTube, based in San Mateo, Calif., has licensing deals with CBS Corp. and three major recording companies — Warner Music Group, Vivendi’s Universal Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The entertainment companies will get a cut of YouTube ad revenue each time someone views a video licensed by them.

YouTube stressed that it won’t be filtering content itself. Instead, the technology it’s developing will allow copyright owners “to identify their content, locate it and then make a decision based on whether they want to remove it,” said spokeswoman Julie Supan.

The new technology will be designed to scan a digital audio file, such as an MP3 or video, and compare the electronic “fingerprints” to databases of copyright material.

But copyrights can be tricky on sites like YouTube. Even a homemade video can run afoul of the law if it has a professional song playing in the background.