Microsoft-owned GitHub, a service for hosting IT projects, closed the youtube-dl project and 17 other repositories that were somehow related to it at the request of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). This is a popular Python library that was used by many developers to download audio and video from YouTube.
The claims boil down to the presence of code in the repository with examples of downloading licensed content from YouTube. In particular, the code of the scripts for extracting videos contains a section with tests of correctness of operation, in which links to materials, the copyright to which belongs to RIAA members, are indicated as examples to be checked. In a letter to GitHub, the RIAA claims that the real purpose of youtube-dl is to distribute music videos and songs without the permission of the copyright holders.
Based on the facts, the RIAA concludes that youtube-dl is being specifically developed as a tool for violating the terms of use of licensed content, bypassing protection mechanisms, and organizing the distribution of video clips and sound recordings without obtaining permission from the copyright holder.
Before the closure, the youtube-dl project was one of the most popular on GitHub, with over 72,000 stars.
What do you think?
The claims boil down to the presence of code in the repository with examples of downloading licensed content from YouTube. In particular, the code of the scripts for extracting videos contains a section with tests of correctness of operation, in which links to materials, the copyright to which belongs to RIAA members, are indicated as examples to be checked. In a letter to GitHub, the RIAA claims that the real purpose of youtube-dl is to distribute music videos and songs without the permission of the copyright holders.
Based on the facts, the RIAA concludes that youtube-dl is being specifically developed as a tool for violating the terms of use of licensed content, bypassing protection mechanisms, and organizing the distribution of video clips and sound recordings without obtaining permission from the copyright holder.
Before the closure, the youtube-dl project was one of the most popular on GitHub, with over 72,000 stars.
What do you think?
