Google has set aside a budget that would specifically cover the legal fees for its content providers being sued for copyright infringement, the search giant announced Thursday.
The new policy, which many considers a game-changer, reveals that Google is committed to provide financial support to those video publishers who qualify for fair-use exemption. In the U.S., "fair use" is a legal principle that allows people to use copyrighted materials for the purpose of enhancing or transforming it into something new or for the purpose of news reporting or satire, according to Fortune. Examples of content classified within this exemption include critiques, parodies and autotuned remixes.
"With approval of the video creators, we'll keep the videos live on YouTube in the U.S., feature them in the YouTube Copyright Center as strong examples of fair use, and cover the cost of any copyright lawsuits brought against them," Fred von Lohmann, copyright legal director at Google, said in the official statement. "We're doing this because we recognize that creators can be intimidated by the DMCA's [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] counter notification process, and the potential for litigation that comes with it (for more background on the DMCA and copyright law see check out this Copyright Basics video)."
Google's statement did not specify the amount that it is willing to cover. But Google could shell out as much as $1 million in legal costs to defend its publishers against lawsuits, according to Tech Crunch. While DMCA seeks to address Internet piracy, it is also often invoked to curb free expression, creativity and competition, according to digital rights activists.
