Bill to Ban Video Game Footage

[Cavus]

Hey Folks,

Just want to inform you that there is a new bill being drafted essentially saying copyrighted works can't be displayed without the express permission of the copyright holder. That would mean that if I wanted to post a video of WoW footage or a multiplayer match in BFBC2 I would have to get the express permission of Blizzard and DICE/EA respectively. The bill is meant to combat piracy of TV shows and movies. The bill has a 10 strike policy (if you upload footage 10 times *EVEN IF YOU LATER TAKE IT DOWN* you will still be held legally responsible). I reiterate that this is meant for movies or TV but this will absolutely raze the video game sides of industries such as Machinima, tournements, justin.tv, American Idol/America's Got Talent (etc.) and people singing on the internet. All of them/their users can be held accountable unless they get permission from the copyright holder. This either needs to be stopped in its tracks or more likely be amended to exclude video games. Let me make it clear, this is intended for TV and movie pirates (and I in no way condone or support media piracy) but this is gonna totally fuck up everything we love about youtube. If you, as gamers, love seananners, machinima, tobygames, colbycheese, mmo-champion, please please please send a letter to your local government representative to stop this.

Video of someone who knows the issue better than I do:

<a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hytigOSjJxc&amp;feature=player_embedded#at=73" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hytigOSjJxc&amp;feature=player_embedded#at=73">

http://act.demandprogress.org/letter...hVZPC&rd=1&t=1
TLDR: Bill aimed to stop tv and movie piracy stands to destroy streaming of video games or posting videos of them on youtube, etc.

[wafflezlol]

this is so stupid this would ruin stuff like machina like you said, and it would kill like 3/4 of youtube

[bohapjut]

ugh more internet censorship

[Resentful]

Internet cenorship? LOL

Youtube would die literally and other sites as well

What a joke

[JustintimeSS]

It seems like people always have to complain about something eh? Now its the internet and video games being targeted to get super fucked by laws and regulations. Clearly this will either show the uptight douchers how massive the gaming/internet community is or it will show the gaming community just how lazy this generation is to do anything about something.

[OutragedFormula]

Jesus.

S 978 isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. In a nutshell, it states that streamers can face jail time only when

• They show 10 or more "public performances" by electronic means in any 180-day period and
• The total retail value of those performances tops $2,500 or the cost of licensing such performances is greater than $5,000

(Copied from Ars Technica, which did an article on this about a month and a half ago)

Unless one's YouTube video/Justin.tv stream/etc becomes insanely popular, the average YouTuber/streamer video won't ever hit a retail value of 250 dollars, nor will the cost to have it licensed ever surpass 500 dollars. Most tournaments, and streamers who would surpass this should be responsible enough to get permission to stream it.

10 streams in six months worth more than five grand sounds reasonable. If you want to look over it for yourself, you can check it out in THOMAS, or check the link below.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s978rs/pdf/BILLS-112s978rs.pdf

[ewhenn]

US law = US law.

A foreign site like dailymotion or whatever will pickup the slack if this law gets passed. There's lots of money to be made with online video, and if you think a US law will change that, you're crazy. I'm sure lots of non-US based companies would love to be in youtube's position as the web standard media site. All that will change is that instead of an American company that employees people and pays taxes making a profit and contributing to our economy, it will be some foreign company raking in the cash for their country instead. Way to go douche-hat congressmen.

Duke Nukem says it best about how I feel about our ignorant government officials: "Eat $h!+ and die!"

[Specops]

S 978 isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. [...]

If it isn't all that bad, why is it even being created?

10 streams in six months worth more than five grand sounds reasonable.

No, it isn't reasonable. Why should my government restrict what I do on the internet? You cannot tell me what I am, or not, allowed to do when it does not negatively affect anybody.

[Randomdude]

Only in the US...... So stupid.

[juzalol]

Most likely sites like Youtube and justinTV will just ask the gaming companies for a permission
to allow streaming of their games so the individual user doesn't have to.

Still... I don't understand why it would have to be illegal. I mean if you buy a freaking shoes
It's not illegal to film yourself walking with them.

I can understand it with stuff like movies where the whole point of the product is to watch it.
I can also understand it when you can play Starcraft II on Justin.tv instead of just watching
someone else play it.

[TheConsumer]

I doubt this law will hurt big streaming sites.

[bohapjut]

I mean if you buy a freaking shoes
It's not illegal to film yourself walking with them.

someday, it very well may be.

[OutragedFormula]

If it isn't all that bad, why is it even being created?

The law isn't bad. It's being drafted to fight a very bad problem.

No, it isn't reasonable. Why should my government restrict what I do on the internet? You cannot tell me what I am, or not, allowed to do when it does not negatively affect anybody.

You government isn't restricting you. You, in all likelihood, won't be bothered by this. You can continue to stream and upload as you always have. It's going after people who use the internet in a manner that aims to defraud the owners of the copyrights they ignore.

Now, instead of mindless anger and ignorance, go read the bill. Please.

EDIT: Can the OP update his post with the actual law's text? Or a proper summary, like the one in my previous post? Seriously.

[Kulthor]

Internet cenorship? LOL

Youtube would die literally and other sites as well

What a joke

If this is the case, Google wouldn't allow this to happen.
They have way too much money and power to prevent things like this.... Who is behind this bullshit anyways? I doubt this will pass through.

[DeltrusDisc]

Jesus.

S 978 isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. In a nutshell, it states that streamers can face jail time only when

• They show 10 or more "public performances" by electronic means in any 180-day period and
• The total retail value of those performances tops $2,500 or the cost of licensing such performances is greater than $5,000

(Copied from Ars Technica, which did an article on this about a month and a half ago)

Unless one's YouTube video/Justin.tv stream/etc becomes insanely popular, the average YouTuber/streamer video won't ever hit a retail value of 250 dollars, nor will the cost to have it licensed ever surpass 500 dollars. Most tournaments, and streamers who would surpass this should be responsible enough to get permission to stream it.

10 streams in six months worth more than five grand sounds reasonable. If you want to look over it for yourself, you can check it out in THOMAS, or check the link below.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s978rs/pdf/BILLS-112s978rs.pdf

Honestly, the fact that they are considering this at all in its current state of basically allowing video games to also be a part, I think is just in clear violation of what America stands for. (Since this IS starting in America.) I realize you're probably like, what? But here, think about it like this.

They are suggesting putting people in JAIL for these streams, which is okay, but the fact that video game streaming would mean the same thing in the current form of the bill? Like, really? Jail, where already too many taxpayer dollars are going and no taxpayer truly wants to pay MORE for prisons, as that would easily become the case. Honestly, they'd be calling up the police, telling them to go get DeltrusDisc for all of his darned WoW fraps footage on his youtube channel (lolseesiggy) and instead of those police out catching REAL criminals who do things in cold heart not as making videos of video game footage or completely original machinima videos for people to be entertained by, those cops will be knocking at the door of poor DeltrusDisc as he posts some silly comment like this one on mmo-champion.

THIS. IS. STUPID.


lols sometimes people are bad at clarity, like me.

[Shatruin]

Why are us nerds always targetted? D:

[Alex1996P]

Yea they should definitely not be passing this. Our government has the balls to this. I mean, they passed the Cyber Security Act, isnt that bad enough. Pretty funny that tons of hacks went into government main frames during the time near that bill was trying to be passed.

[Dancing Monkey]

S 978 isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. In a nutshell, it states that streamers can face jail time only when

• They show 10 or more "public performances" by electronic means in any 180-day period and
• The total retail value of those performances tops $2,500 or the cost of licensing such performances is greater than $5,000

Unless one's YouTube video/Justin.tv stream/etc becomes insanely popular, the average YouTuber/streamer video won't ever hit a retail value of 250 dollars, nor will the cost to have it licensed ever surpass 500 dollars. Most tournaments, and streamers who would surpass this should be responsible enough to get permission to stream it.

10 streams in six months worth more than five grand sounds reasonable. If you want to look over it for yourself, you can check it out in THOMAS, or check the link below.

Um, name something that would fall under that law, that someone would care about, and wouldn't fall under $5000, which number is based on the retail value, set by the owners of the copyright?

"oh, you put up an episode of Seinfeld on youtube? Well in order to have done that legally, you would have had to pay for the rights to do so. Currently, the Turner Broadcast Company has the right to air Seinfeld, and they are paying us $15,000,000. oh, you don't have that money? Well off to jail for 15 years. Need to make room for this Seinfeld uploaderer. Early release for the rapists and murderers. we can't have Seinfeld uploaderers walking around free."

[bohapjut]

Need to make room for this Seinfeld uploaderer. Early release for the rapists and murderers. we can't have Seinfeld uploaderers walking around free."

true that, gotta get the real criminals locked up

[OutragedFormula]

Honestly, the fact that they are considering this at all I think it just in clear violation of what America stands for. (Since this IS starting in America.) I realize you're probably like, what? But here, think about it like this.

They are suggesting putting people in JAIL for these streams, etc. Like, really? Jail, where already too many taxpayer dollars are going and no taxpayer truly wants to pay MORE for prisons, as that would easily become the case. Honestly, they'd be calling up the police, telling them to go get DeltrusDisc for all of his darned WoW fraps footage on his youtube channel (lolseesiggy) and instead of those police out catching REAL criminals who do things in cold heart not as making videos for people to be entertained by, those cops will be knocking at the door of poor DeltrusDisc as he posts some silly comment like this one on mmo-champion.

THIS. IS. STUPID.

So, you're main issue with the law isn't the fact that it makes something (more) illegal, but the fact that it sends people who steal to JAIL? When you ignore copyright, you are just as much of a thief as any other thief. It doesn't make you any less of a lawbreaker.

The police won't be wasting their time when they catch you, if that's the main issue you're having.