Following a massive wave of takedown requests, content creators were recently blindsided by notices in their inboxes for audio violations on old video clips. The Recording Industry Association (RIAA) claimed the infringing content was in bulk caused by clips of old broadcasts. Content creators were forced to rush into a fury and take down these clips due to the 3-strike rule. According to Twitch’s terms of service once your account reaches 3 strikes it will become permanently banned.
Partners have VODs stored for 60 days, vs only 14 days for Affiliates. Any clip created out of a live stream however is permanent but can only be between 5 and 60 seconds. Clips have been available since July 26th, 2016 which for some creators posed a massive problem. Creators could have thousands of clips with audio copyright violations not noticed yet by RIAA which could potentially cause strikes if rights holders find them. Clips at this time do not have a bulk delete feature so creators would have to spend massive amounts of hours sorting through potential audio violating clips.
Twitch has no choice but to abide by these requests due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) which governs online copyright laws. Twitch like all other social media platforms must protect themselves and issue takedowns when users violate the DMCA or they will face lawsuits. They issued this statement on the 7th.
This is the first time we have received mass DMCA claims against clips. We understand this has been stressful for affected creators and are working on solutions, including examining how we can give you more control over your clips.
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) June 8, 2020
Twitch has swiftly come to a solution that content creators will be omega satisfied with that includes scanning clips for audio violations then removing them automatically with no punishment! While Twitch’s current scans for copyright infringement are limited to full VODs it currently only mutes the audio. They do not at this moment scan clips which means years of copyrighted audio violations could be present. They issued a statement via Twitter citing they would be extending their use of Audible Magic to scan and remove clips for creators without penalty.
First, we will begin the work to extend our use of Audible Magic to identify existing clips that may contain copyrighted music and delete them for you without penalty. Over the coming months, this will cover newly created clips as well.
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) June 11, 2020
Audible Magic Corporation (commonly Audible Magic) is a Los Gatos, California-based company that provides content identification services to social networks, record labels, music publishers, and television and movie studios. Twitch and Audible Magic have worked together since 2014 and now with an increased partnership will be able to scan clips and remove them automatically. So give your mouse a break and rest at ease everything will be taken care of for you.
