A YouTuber named Albino recently found himself in a peculiar situation. While streaming a game of Fallout, his Samsung washing machine chimed to signal the end of a laundry cycle. YouTube’s Content ID system, which automatically detects content registered by rights holders, identified this chime as a song called “Done” uploaded by a musician known as Audego.
Upon investigation, Albino discovered that Audego’s song was nothing more than a 30-second clip of the washing machine chime. The chime, in fact, is a snippet from the song “Die Forelle” (“The Trout”) by Austrian composer Franz Schubert, composed in 1817 and in the public domain. Samsung has been using it to signal the end of a wash cycle for years.
Albino expressed his frustration, stating that his video was demonetized and the ad revenue was being redirected to Audego. He criticized YouTube’s Content ID system for potentially allowing Audego to make invalid copyright claims for years without detecting the seemingly obvious abuse.
Despite Albino’s dispute, YouTube’s initial response was a standard one, stating that the claimant has 30 days to respond. This response further aggravated Albino, who felt that the copyright abuse was egregious and that YouTube was failing to address it effectively.
Read more: www.wired.com