Music Video Codes

[iBizStart]

Are these sites legal to run?

[gariben]

you need licenses from major studios otherwise it's illegal to operate the site.

Many of the biggest illegal video/music sites probably received CD letters already.

[Darren06]

Gariben are you sure? I heard they are legal because most of the videos are not hosted on their server.

[Edder]

Gariben are you sure? I heard they are legal because most of the videos are not hosted on their server.

I also assumed it was legal if you didn't host the actual files.

[jberryhill]

17 USC § 1201
(2) No person shall manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide, or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof, that—
(A) is primarily designed or produced for the purpose of circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title;
(B) has only limited commercially significant purpose or use other than to circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title; or
(C) is marketed by that person or another acting in concert with that person with that person’s knowledge for use in circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title.
[...]
(2) As used in this subsection—
(A) to “circumvent protection afforded by a technological measure” means avoiding, bypassing, removing, deactivating, or otherwise impairing a technological measure; and
(B) a technological measure “effectively protects a right of a copyright owner under this title” if the measure, in the ordinary course of its operation, prevents, restricts, or otherwise limits the exercise of a right of a copyright owner under this title.

[iBizStart]

So in English that means its illegal?

[StockDoctor]

So in English that means its illegal?

I think John outlined it, and now you need to get more specific with your question byalik. When you say "these sites" you're asking a pretty broad question. Which sites? What action? etc. etc.

[jberryhill]

I think John outlined it, and now you need to get more specific with your question byalik. When you say "these sites" you're asking a pretty broad question. Which sites? What action? etc. etc.

Seriously. I have no definite idea what Byalik is talking about. If "music video codes" are some kind of license enforcement mechanism, which only authorized users are supposed to have in order to view music videos, then unauthorized distribution of the codes would implicate the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA.

So in English that means its illegal?

How about, in English, providing some idea of what "music video codes" are, and what "these sites" are.

[mfk_1868]

then is google illegal? It also gives out links to mp3s clips etc. this confuses me?

[iBizStart]

Example:
http://www.musicvideocodes.com

These sites provide codes to music videos that people can place on their websites, blogs, myspace, etc...

They claim not to store the music video in their databases and just reference them through links that are hidden in some java or php code.

[gariben]

musicvideocodes.com actually have the license rights (supposedly) from major studios.

It is actually similar sites like http://www.videocodezone.com/ and many other sites are illegally operating. Anyways.....

[Jernet]

the trend with these sites is to run them, and then if you get an email asking/telling you to remove a particular video from your site, you do it, and generally all is well.

remember when the lyrics sites first came out? they were shutting them down left and right. now there are hundreds, if not thousands of them out there.

doesn't make them anymore or any less legal, but I think people just get sick of fighting a losing battle.

[Dale Hubbard]

I think I must have this wrong also. I thought that these streamed .asf files which use .asx files as their descriptors were no problem to host, together with some html that people can copy and paste on their own site (the sum being the "code"). These videos are put out as promos by the record companies to further record sales? Why would a reference to the streaming source (NOT physical Hosting) be a problem?

I see videocodezone.com is carrying high-end ads -- surely the likes of Casale and Fastclick have vetted their content? This is also the site I saw somewhere that was sold for $200,000, four months from inception. That buyer must have done some due dilly on the deal? And it made $1700 on the last day before sale from ad revenue?

I'd love to know more...

[LeeD]

I think I must have this wrong also. I thought that these streamed .asf files which use .asx files as their descriptors were no problem to host, together with some html that people can copy and paste on their own site (the sum being the "code"). These videos are put out as promos by the record companies to further record sales? Why would a reference to the streaming source (NOT physical Hosting) be a problem?

I see videocodezone.com is carrying high-end ads -- surely the likes of Casale and Fastclick have vetted their content? This is also the site I saw somewhere that was sold for $200,000, four months from inception. That buyer must have done some due dilly on the deal? And it made $1700 on the last day before sale from ad revenue?

I'd love to know more...

I am with you aZooZa...;-)

[octobus]

if anyone is thinking about starting one, then contact me.

I have a nice music code domain with type-in traffic for sale.

[Dale Hubbard]

Oh - you can be sure I started one too 12,000 codes and counting.

[LeeD]

Oh - you can be sure I started one too 12,000 codes and counting.

Need a partner?

[Dale Hubbard]

Cool - not at the moment!

[Darren06]

I got one too.

[StuntPope]

I got one too.

I've noticed a lot of these sites just broke in the last few days, most of them were redirecting videos out of yahoo, looking at those yahoo links (off of the launch.yahoo.com site) they are just spitting out empty links.

Anybody else notice this?