[NetBehaviour] And so it begins: YouTube nukes 30,000 videos.

[marc]

And so it begins: YouTube nukes 30,000 videos.

by Ken Fisher.

Long before Google swooped in to buy up YouTube there were questions 
about the video sharing site's future. In particular, concerns relating 
to copyright infringement have persisted: can YouTube be sued, will they 
be sued? Will a sanitized YouTube be interesting? The recent acquisition 
by Google all but ensures that the site will remain under the 
infringe-o-scope of copyright holders for the near future.

In the first major mass removal of content in its history, YouTube has 
removed nearly 30,000 videos after being contacted by a number of 
Japanese rights-holders, according to the Japan Society for Rights of 
Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC). The group says that its 
members found 29,549 videos on YouTube that contain unauthorized 
materials taken from Japanese sources, including movies, music videos, 
and television. Japanese broadcast giant NHK was among those seeking the 
removal of materials.

more...
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061020-8038.html