It's no secret that YouTube's copyright claims system isn't exactly popular with users. With so much content being uploaded every day, it's understandable why YouTube went with an automated system — but the guilty-until-proven-innocent process doesn't really work all that well for users. In reality, it's all to prevent piracy (blame the folks who uploaded Family Guy episodes all those years ago), but it can feel like the system is targeting the wrong people.
Nintendo's been at the center of YouTube's copyright policies for a while now – many people think Nintendo is penny-pinching at the expense of content creators – and with Super Mario Maker hitting shelves in just a few weeks, it's almost guaranteed that it'll be back in the limelight shortly. However, for this story, it's not Nintendo that's at the center of copyright controversy — it's Playboy.
It all started when Kotaku contributor Patricia Hernandez uploaded footage of Super Mario Maker levels to YouTube. It's nothing new; YouTube has been dominated by similar videos ever since review copies were sent out. However, something interesting happened after a particular video was uploaded: a claim from Playboy Enterprises Inc. popped up.
The video in question (which you can see below), features footage from an "automatic" Super Mario Maker level: esentially, some players are creating levels that play themselves. It's an interesting concept, but with YouTube's automated copyright system, it looks like it might lead to trouble, too.
Basically, while looking through the footage, YouTube noticed that the footage from Hernandez's video was the same as something that Playboy had already uploaded. This makes sense, as both videos showcased the same level, but YouTube automatically assumed that Hernandez's video had taken footage from Playboy's. As a result, YouTube started sending out bogus copyright claims on Playboy's behalf — and Hernandez isn't the only one who's seen it happen.
Thankfully, the problem is one that's easily handled, and Playboy has started dismissing any and all copyright claims related to the video — but it showcases the problem with an automated system. These claims should have never gone out, but when you leave it up to an overly touchy automated process, problems like this are going to happen eventually.
Oh, and if you were wondering whether or not Nintendo would be joining in on the fun at all, you can rest easy:
Dear YouTubers who want to do Super Mario Maker Let's plays: You have been warned. pic.twitter.com/v0pEzNi6uO
— ProJared (@ProJared) August 31, 2015
That said, don't let all of this turn you away from Super Mario Maker: there are already some amazing levels out there, and it's only going to get better from here.
Super Mario Maker hits store shelves on September 11.
Via: Kotaku
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