In a move that is sure to rile videogame streamers, including PS4 owners who take advantage of the console’s Share Feature, Twitch users are to be subjected to the same stringent audio copyright laws that are currently in place on YouTube.
Twitch has revealed that archived streams will be scanned for unautorised third-party audio, with content recognition company Audible Magic doing the detective work.
Videos on Demand (VOD), including in-game audio (original videogame soundtracks), will be scanned for copyright audio with offending material then muted. Like YouTube, Twitch users will be able appeal against copyright claims.
Here’s the official statement:
“We’ve partnered with Audible Magic, which works closely with the recorded music industry, to scan past and future VODs for music owned or controlled by clients of Audible Magic. This includes in-game and ambient music. When music in the Audible Magic database is detected (“Flagged Content”), the affected portion of the VOD will be muted and volume controls for that VOD will be turned off. Additionally, past broadcasts and highlights with Flagged Content are exportable but will remain muted.
The Audible Magic technology will scan for third party music in 30 minute blocks — if Audible Magic does not detect its clients’ music, that portion of the VOD will not be muted. If third party audio is detected anywhere in the 30-minute scanned block, the entire 30 minutes will be muted.”
The move to crack down on copyrighted material doesn’t really come as a surprise. Google-owned YouTube has had these rules in place for some time and early this year bought Twitch in a $1 billion dollar deal. Twitch says the copyright laws won’t apply to live streams.