Nintendo has started claiming ad revenue on user-created Youtube videos featuring its games, according to reports from Youtube users.
Nintendo does not want to block videos containing content that it owns from appearing on Youtube (as many film and music publishers have), but it wants to place ads at the beginning and the end of videos featuring Nintendo games, such as Let's Plays, with that revenue going to Nintendo as opposed to the creator of the video.
Prolific Youtube channel owner Zack Scott has posted on Facebook about the demands. "I think filing claims against LPers is backwards," he writes. "Video games aren't like movies or TV. Each play-through is a unique audiovisual experience. When I see a film that someone else is also watching, I don't need to see it again. When I see a game that someone else is playing, I want to play that game for myself! Sure, there may be some people who watch games rather than play them, but are those people even gamers?"
Nintendo has issued the following statement to GameFront on the matter: "As part of our on-going push to ensure Nintendo content is shared across social media channels in an appropriate and safe way, we became a YouTube partner and as such in February 2013 we registered our copyright content in the YouTube database.
Unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property.
"For most fan videos this will not result in any changes, however, for those videos featuring Nintendo-owned content, such as images or audio of a certain length, adverts will now appear at the beginning, next to or at the end of the clips. We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on YouTube, and that is why, unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property."
Nintendo's right to protect its copyright is enshrined both in law and in Youtube's copyright guidelines, which state that just because you purchase something, it doesn't mean that you have the right to upload it. But this sets an uncomfortable precedent for Youtubers who make their living from Let's Plays and other self-created game content: they are now unlikely to feature Nintendo games, and if other publishers were to follow suit it would be a monumental shake-up.
Keza MacDonald is in charge of IGN's games coverage in the UK. You can follow her on IGN and Twitter.
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