Last month , GitHubremoveda democratic tool that is used to download videos from site like YouTube after it invite aDMCAtakedown notice from the Recording Industry Association of America . For a moment , it seemed that GitHub might bedevil developer under the passenger vehicle in thesame fashionthat Twitch has latterly treat its pennant . But on Monday , GitHub run on the offense by reinstate the offending tool and saying it would take a more aggressive cable on protecting developer ’ task .
Youtube - dlis a command - line curriculum that could , hypothetically , be used to make unauthorized written matter of copyrighted material . This potential difference for contumely prompted the RIAA to send GitHub a scarytakedown noticebecause that ’s what the RIAA does all day . The software package development weapons platform complied with the observation and let loose a user outcry over the loss of one of themost popularrepositories on the site . Many developer startedre - uploading the codeto GitHub in dissent . After take some time to review the case , GitHub now says that youtube - dl is all serious .
In astatement , GitHub ’s Director of Platform Policy Abby Vollmer wrote that there are two reason that it was able to reverse the decision . The first intellect is that the RIAA cited one repo that used the youtube - dl source code and hold in references to a few copyright songs on YouTube . This was only part of a building block test that the code perform . It hear to a few seconds of the birdsong to control that everything is working properly but it does n’t download or distribute any material . Regardless , GitHub worked with the developer topatchout the references and stay on the safe side .
Image: Github/Gizmodo
As for the master youtube - dl informant code , lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation decided to stand for the developers andpresented an argumentthat satisfied GitHub ’s fear that the code circumvents technological measures to protect copyrighted fabric in violation ofSection 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act . The EFF explain that youtube - dl does n’t decipher anything or breakthrough any anti - copying measures . From a proficient standpoint , it is n’t much different than a web internet browser receiving selective information as designate , and there are plenty of reasonable use applications for making a transcript of materials .
Among the “ many legitimate purposes ” for using youtube - dl , GitHub listed : “ changing playback speeds for accessibility , preserving grounds in the fight for human rights , aiding diarist in fact - checking , and download Creative Commons - licensed or public domain videos . ” The EFF cited some of the same practical uses and had a few alone additions to its list of benefits , saying that it could be used by “ educators to write videos for classroom use , by YouTubers to save backup copy of their own uploaded videos , and by substance abuser worldwide to observe videos on computer hardware that ca n’t consort a stock vane internet browser , or to watch videos in their full resolution over slow or unreliable Internet connexion . ”
It ’s nice to see GitHub evaluating the argument and move forward without look for a legal operation to play out , but the troupe went further in announcing a neweight - stone’s throw processfor judge claims related to Section 1201 that will slip on the side of developer . GitHub is also institute a million - clam legal fund to provide help to open reference developers fighting off unwarranted squelch notices . Mea culpa , mea culpa !
Finally , the company sound out that it would mold to improve the police around DMCA notices and it will be “ advocate specifically on the anti - circumvention provisions of the DMCA to promote developers ’ freedom to buildsocially beneficialtools like youtube - dl . ”
Along with today ’s announcement , GitHub CEO Nat Friedmantweeted , “ Section 1201 of the DMCA is broken and needs to be fixed . developer should have the freedom to tinker . ”
Github
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