Social media has gradually given way to a strong class of content creators who earn a living by monetising their intellectual property through ad revenue, subscriptions and exclusive memberships. On the other hand, growing copyright infringement is threatening the financial stability of these creators. Hence, it is important to refer to the case of Samay Raina, a popular YouTuber with 5.4 million subscribers. Its intellectual property India’s Got Latent has been affected by unauthorised re-uploads. Although platforms like YouTube are providing tools to address such issues, the recurrent challenge of copyright breaches across multiple digital platforms calls for more efficient solutions.
Threat Of Copyright Infringements In The Digital Age
Samay Raina- with over 5.4 million subscribers was affected by the growing problem of copyright infringement. Besides having over 150 million views, the show India’s Got Latent was an unexpected hit. The success of his show contributed to more than 1.5 billion global views as mentioned in YouTube’s year-end report. Now, cashing on the popularity of the show, Raina started putting out exclusive content and behind-the-scenes footage on YouTube, available at a very nominal rate of Rs 59 a month. The goal was to reward his most devoted followers while also generating a cash stream. But to his surprise, some users began re-uploading his pay-walled content for free on YouTube and other platforms. This undermined the exclusivity he had promised his subscribers while also hurting his earnings. “I was trying to set up a revenue stream by uploading this content exclusively for members-only, so people re-uploading it is a problem I face,” said Raina during a recent YouTube press conference held on 5th December.
The Ineffectiveness Of Current Copyright Protection
The illegal re-uploads frustrated Raina and also highlighted a greater issue that creators in the digital era face regularly. While copyright law makes creators the sole owners of their intellectual property, the current system often fails to protect them. Copyright strikes on websites like YouTube afford some protection, but they are less useful on other platforms where it’s much more difficult to remove content. The effectiveness of this system reduces drastically on other platforms where takedowns are less easy. “On YouTube, getting this content taken down is comparatively easier than on other platforms. On other websites, it is quite difficult to get the content removed, and it leads to loss of revenue,” said Raina.
Legal experts emphasize the fact that copyright law provides remedies by way of injunctions, damages, and even criminal penalties; however, most creators find these remedies theoretical either because of the lack of resources or lack of time to pursue them. Moreover, the current system requires creators to find and report violations on their own. Influencers are overburdened by this reactive approach as it requires them to divide their time between producing content and upholding the law. “You can file a copyright strike in 30 seconds from the comfort of your home,” a macro influencer told Mint anonymously. “Why would we go to court for this? Also, there is not just one but multiple such infringements on so many content pieces that we make—how many cases can we fight?”
YouTube tries to balance the two forces of protecting the copyright holders on one hand and at the same time creating a community of artists that flourish. But in the rest of the creative sector, there is a large number of instances where authorship rights are violated due to the lack of clear laws and norms. Compared to YouTube, no other platforms have their tools in place, so it is a pretty tough task for creators to secure their content.
A Call For Proactive Solutions: Safeguarding Digital Creativity
The situation involving Samay Raina and the battle for copyright infringement raises the bigger question of the inadequacies faced by content creators in the contemporary world. The battle against copyright infringement is not just about defending the sources of income but also protecting the original content. It is only by facilitating constructive engagement between creators, the platforms, and the policymakers that we can have an ecosystem of creativity, and creators like Raina will be empowered to focus on what they do best is entertaining and inspiring audiences worldwide.
Authors: Mahima Gupta, Smita Pandey & Nishita Neelanjana