Stream ripping

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Stream ripping (also called stream recording) is the process of saving data streams to a file. The process is sometimes referred to as destreaming.

Contents

Stream ripping is most often referred in the context of saving audio or video from streaming media websites and services such as YouTube outside of the officially-provided means of offline playback (if any) using unsanctioned software and tools. This is often prohibited under each respective website or service's Terms of Use. [1]

Legality

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has taken stances against tools that are, in particular, used to rip content from YouTube, citing that their use to download music from the website and convert them to audio formats constitutes a violation of their members' copyrights. The RIAA has targeted various stream ripping websites (including the websites themselves, and listings for them via search engines) under the anti-circumvention provisions of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), under its claim that a "rolling cipher" used by YouTube to generate the URL for the video file itself constitutes a technical protection measure, since it is "intended to inhibit direct access to the underlying YouTube video files, thereby preventing or inhibiting the downloading, copying, or distribution of the video files". Unlike the more common forms of takedowns performed under the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act, there is no scheme of counter-notices for such takedowns. These actions have faced criticism, noting that there are legitimate uses for these services beyond ripping music, such as downloading video content needed to utilize one's right to fair use, or explicit rights of reuse (such as free content licenses) granted by a content creator. [2] [3] [4] [5]

In October 2020, the RIAA similarly issued takedowns to code hosting service GitHub targeting youtube-dl, an open source tool for similar purposes, also citing circumvention of the aforementioned "rolling cipher", as well as usage examples in its readme file that "expressly suggests" its use with copyrighted works. [6] [7] [8]

On November 16, 2020, GitHub later reinstated youtube-dl and subsequently released a related blog post with more information on the status of the takedown. [9]

On February 9, 2023, Github and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed amicus curiae contesting the ruling against a stream ripping service, Yout, concerning that the ruling could render many software that add features or customize user experience as a circumvention violation, and arguing that lacking features such as a download button is not a technical protection measure because youtube allowed any browser to access its videos including browsers that allow users to customize them. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Megaupload Ltd was a Hong Kong–based online company established in 2005 that operated from 2005 to 2012 providing online services related to file storage and viewing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act</span> 1998 U.S. federal law

The Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act (OCILLA) is United States federal law that creates a conditional 'safe harbor' for online service providers (OSP), a group which includes Internet service providers (ISP) and other Internet intermediaries, by shielding them for their own acts of direct copyright infringement as well as shielding them from potential secondary liability for the infringing acts of others. OCILLA was passed as a part of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and is sometimes referred to as the "Safe Harbor" provision or as "DMCA 512" because it added Section 512 to Title 17 of the United States Code. By exempting Internet intermediaries from copyright infringement liability provided they follow certain rules, OCILLA attempts to strike a balance between the competing interests of copyright owners and digital users.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recording Industry Association of America</span> Trade organization representing the recording industry in the U.S.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legally sold recorded music in the United States". RIAA is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an international non-profit advocacy and legal organization based in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Millennium Copyright Act</span> United States copyright law

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a 1998 United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to copyrighted works. It also criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself. In addition, the DMCA heightens the penalties for copyright infringement on the Internet. Passed on October 12, 1998, by a unanimous vote in the United States Senate and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 28, 1998, the DMCA amended Title 17 of the United States Code to extend the reach of copyright, while limiting the liability of the providers of online services for copyright infringement by their users.

<i>Lenz v. Universal Music Corp.</i> U.S. District Court copyright case

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<i>IO Group, Inc. v. Veoh Networks, Inc.</i> 2008 US District Court case

IO Group, Inc. v. Veoh Networks, Inc., 586 F. Supp. 2d 1132, is an American legal case involving an internet television network named Veoh that allowed users of its site to view streaming media of various adult entertainment producer IO Group's films. The United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that Veoh qualified for the safe harbors provided by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 512 (2006). According to commentators, this case could foreshadow the resolution of Viacom v. YouTube.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">YouTube copyright strike</span> Website policy action

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freeShop was a homebrew application for the Nintendo 3DS that allowed games to be downloaded from the Nintendo eShop's servers without being previously purchased. freeShop was first released in April 2016, before being removed from GitHub following a DMCA takedown notice sent in late December 2016.

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YouTube Vanced was a modified third-party YouTube application for Android with a built-in ad blocker. Other features of the app included SponsorBlock, background play, free picture-in-picture (PiP), an AMOLED black theme, swipe control for brightness and volume, and implementation of the Return YouTube Dislike browser extension. Modified versions of YouTube Music and MicroG were also developed.

<i>RealNetworks, Inc. v. Streambox, Inc.</i>

RealNetworks, Inc. v. Streambox, Inc., 2000 WL 127311, was a copyright law case of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, over the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and whether those provisions are violated by a service that enables Internet users to circumvent the copyright protection controls used by a streaming platform.

References

  1. ↑ "Terms of Service". www.youtube.com. Under "Permissions and Restrictions" in "Your Use of the Service". Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  2. ↑ Plaugic, Lizzie (2016-09-27). "Record labels sue popular YouTube audio-ripping site". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  3. ↑ Masnick, Mike (28 September 2016). "Can Someone Explain To The RIAA That SOPA Didn't Actually Pass?". Techdirt. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  4. ↑ "RIAA Delists YouTube Rippers From Google Using Rare Anti-Circumvention Notices". TorrentFreak. 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  5. ↑ "MP3 Stream Rippers Are Not Illegal Sites, EFF Tells US Government". TorrentFreak. 2017-10-21. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  6. ↑ "dmca/2020-10-23-RIAA.md at master · github/dmca". GitHub . 2020-10-23. Archived from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  7. ↑ Cimpanu, Catalin. "RIAA blitz takes down 18 GitHub projects used for downloading YouTube videos". ZDNet. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  8. ↑ Cushing, Tim (2020-10-26). "RIAA Tosses Bogus Claim At Github To Get Video Downloading Software Removed". Techdirt. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  9. ↑ "Standing up for developers: youtube-dl is back". The GitHub Blog. 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  10. ↑ "GitHub and EFF Back YouTube Ripper in Legal Battle With the RIAA". Torrentfreak. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
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