In an effort to combat a popular form of music piracy, a collection of music labels and organizations representing American and British record companies filed a complaint on Monday, September 26, against YouTube-mp3.org, the largest website dedicated to converting YouTube videos to downloadable MP3 files. [1]
According to the complaint filed in the District Court for the Central District of California, YouTube-mp3.org is the largest “stream ripping” site in the world, with approximately 60 million unique users per month.[2] Stream ripping is the process of creating a downloadable file from an online streaming content source (such as YouTube) so that a user may access the file offline on any device.[3] This process is most commonly used in order to convert a YouTube music video into a downloadable MP3 file that can then be imported into the music player of the user’s choice.[4] YouTube-mp3.org allows the user to simply copy/paste the URL of a YouTube video onto the website, and the website then converts the video into an MP3 file, stores that file on a remote server, and presents the user with a download link, thus removing the user entirely from process of converting the video.[5]
The complaint alleges that YouTube-mp3.org has violated the Copyright Act by copying, storing, and distributing the copyrighted work of the musical artists represented by the plaintiffs without prior authorization from either the plaintiffs or YouTube.[6] Despite the website offering its service for free to its users, the complaint further alleges that the website and its creator, Philip Matesanz, have profited enormously from this copyright infringement by selling ad space on the website, which is estimated to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars per month for YouTube-mp3.org.[7] In addition to other damages and fees, the suit seeks to recover the statutory maximum amount ($150,000) per copyright infringement, specifically listing 304 songs that YouTube-mp3.org pirated.[8]
This lawsuit illustrates the controversy surrounding stream ripping which presents a dilemma for a music industry struggling with the evolution of legal streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, as well as illegal music streaming. With more services offering free versions of their streaming platforms, the amount of subscription and payment-free music available to users is greater than ever before. This lawsuit and the transition of some artists like Kanye West releasing albums exclusively to paid streaming subscribers would seem to indicate that the recording industry is seeking to find a balance between providing users with reasonably priced content and giving artists a fair share of the proceeds from their sales.