Lawyer Suggests Publishers Are ‘Waiving Their Rights’ If they Allow YouTubers To Use Game Footage

In light of the the latest saga in YouTube’s continued clamping down of video game videos, one lawyer well-versed in copyright law has weighed in on the subject, claiming that if developers and publishers allow YouTube videos to go unchecked, it may prevent them from taking action in the future if their footage is used in a way they do not approve of.

“Posting video clips without the copyright owners’ permission is copyright infringement,” says Kim Walker, partner at Thomas Eggar law firm.

“In allowing gamers to promote themselves with footage informally, and by announcing this to the press, developers may be waiving their right to take action for infringement against these or other You-tubers if the content is used in a way they don’t like, unless they have clearly reserved their rights.

“A license agreement would be the best way of protecting both parties rather than leaving things on an informal basis, but there will likely be a cost to administer the scheme and so may not prove popular.”

If anything is certain in life, it's that copyright law is terrible.

via VG247.