kaled - 5:08 pm on Jun 24, 2010 (gmt 0)

Here's a thought for the lawyers...

Viacom have lost a case based on copyright (which will go to appeal) but could they bring an entirely new case based on the distribution of counterfeit goods. For instance, copying and distributing designer handbags is illegal. Why should videos that are given away be different?

That said, the technical solution is easy...

1. Allow major copyright owners such as Viacom to register as such so that they may upload their own material.
   
2. Display the copyright owner with official uploads and invite users to report missing copyright.
   
3. When a single video has streamed more than a given amount of data, e.g. 100GB initiate a manual review. If it appears to be copyrighted but not posted by a registered copyright owner, suspend it (and possibly pay compensation).