So with the current move by Twitch to mute sections of VODs that contain material deemed to infringe copyrights, I started thinking about what would happen if somebody had the licences required to play that audio legally.
Here in the UK, we have PRS and PPL that act as royalty collection agencies from whom you can buy licences for all sorts of different types of music broadcast and performance categories, at prices that are commensurate with the level of use and the revenue of your business. My Google-Fu suggests that ASCAP and BMI are the equivalent organisations in the US. But Twitch streams and VODs are accessible worldwide. What licences are actually necessary for legally streaming copyrighted music on Twitch?
Second, does Twitch have a system in place (or even plan to do so) for registering the proper licences so that people who are brodasting copyrighted material don't have their content muted even when they have the proper permissions? If not, what is the process for challenging incorrect muting decisions? If somebody has all the necessary licences, what can they do to prove to Twitch that this is the case, so that they can have their muted content restored to its fully working state?
I can't help but feel that everybody will be better off if Twitch clarifies the requirements for legal streaming of copyrighted music, and the steps that need to be taken to prove that you have permission.
↧