How YouTube, Meta copyright and monetisation policies dey affect creators

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On Tuesday, 13 August YouTube strike di music video of one Nigerian song wey dem dey call Ogechi ova copyright claim.

Dem bin drop di video for di remix of di Ogechi song wey Grammy nominee, Davido follow BoyPee, Hyce and Brown Joel sing on 18 July for YouTube.

But now if you click di link for di video wey BoyPee post, di message wey dey pop up na say, “Dis video no longer dey available sake of copyright claim by King Lion official”.

But e no mean say di video no dey at all for YouTube. Quick search of di video show say di video still dey online but for di channel wey dem dey call Maravha Shaka get am for dia page.

Dis page also get music videos from all ova Africa including music from Tanzanian musicians, Diamond Platnumz.

E dey strange but also understandable wen you tink am say for di beginning of YouTube for Nigeria, di pipo wey bin dey upload music videos on di platform na music TV stations and programs and na dem still get dat kain music for dia platform.

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Dis no go be di first time wey YouTube dey take down music videos around di world.

But na for different reasons, like violence and so on.

For May 2018, YouTube bin take down ova half of di violent music videos wey di United Kingdom senior police oga bin ask dem to comot.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick bin blame some of di videos say na dem ginger di rise of murders and violent crimes for London and out of evri song wey dey na drill music she pick.

At di time, YouTube bin don tok say dem don remove ova 30 videos.

Dis mata of demonetisation of content and copyright issues don comot from different social media platforms dem.

Last month, di tok-tok about monetisation of pesin content come afta comedian Brain Jotter popularise di 80s south-eastern Nigeria hit song Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo, wey 90-year-old Mike Ejeagha bin release, wit a viral dance step.

Brain Jotter, wey im real name na Chukwuebuka Emmanuel Amuzi, explain say di copyright of music for social media platform dey strict and any content wey pesin make wit anoda pesin music go receive strike and dis social media go carry di revenue for di content give di creator of di music.

E tok say, “You no fit monetise anoda pesin song becos dis platforms get tools to strike you for copyright violation.

“If I post am for YouTube, di platform go strike am for copyright and carry revenue give Ejeagha, di same tin wit Facebook. Di videos don also help to increase di number of streams well-well for music streaming platforms and e no get how I wan put di song for dis platforms so evritin dey go to Ejeagha hand.”

So wetin fit make dem comot pesin music video from dia own YouTube page?

Well, Intellectual Property lawyer, Kira Green, follow BBC News Pidgin tok say e no suppose dey possible say dat kain tin go happun.

She say, “Dat no suppose happun, maybe na mistake from YouTube becos to ask for takedown of content, you gatz submit evidence for di form wey you dey fill say di content na your own and no belong to anoda pesin.”

Madam Green add say, “for takedown requests, you gatz swear on penalty of perjury say you own di copyright of di content and all di details you bin write for di [take down] form dey true, so if pesin claim copyright falsely dem dey likely to face di penalty of perjury becos dem no own di copyright of di tin dem dey try take down.”

Even wit di moni share, Nigerian content space don dey grow in di kain way wey smaller creators dey depend on bigger brands like bloggers to repost dia content to make dem blow.

Dis na for social media pages like Facebook and Instagram wey allow monetisation of Nigerian and Ghanaian content for July.

However, content creators fit don find way to side step dat plalava, especially for Instagram, by just including dis big pages wey dem dey hope say go feature dem for dia platforms for dia list of contributors.

Dis mata of copyright takedowns don dey affect content creators too.

Di AMVCA 2023 award winner for di Best Social Media Content Creator, Elozonam Ogbolu don face copyright strikes, but e say e no gree contest am sake of say e go clash wit wen e suppose post am.

E say, “E happun wit My Name Is Zozo (current content series for im channel) two times. But I no dispute am. I just change di track. Dis na as e for take too long to dispute di claim and I no go fit get ansa bifor di episode suppose comot”.

Ms Green, however tok say e no suppose to take too long to dispute copyright claim if you get evidence.

She add say while takedowns dey normally happun within a day, e go fit take pass up to 10 days to put am back.

Di mata around music for content work serious sotay even YouTube don arrange library of content free music wey pipo fit use.

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But how dis platforms dey find out say some kain content no be for di pesin wey post am? YouTube dey use different means, either pesin tell dem say na my content be dis or e get dis tin wey dem dey call Content ID wey dey work to arrest dat content immediately.

YouTube Content ID claim dey automatically generate wen one video match anoda video or part of anoda video wey dey for YouTube Content ID system.

Di second one na copyright removal requests wey copyright owner find dia content wey dey copyright protected and submit di request wey dem dey also call takedown notice. Na legal request to remove content from YouTube sake of alleged copyright infringement.

But if di takedown notice no dey fair and YouTube actually take di content down, Kira Green say “If pesin do a take down notice for anoda pesin video and dem actually comot am, di pesin fit do wetin dem dey call counter-notification to prove say true-true, dis content na my own. Dis na my evidence, YouTube go look am and dem fit reinstate di video.”

For Meta, di way dem dey run tins too dey far off.

According to dia Business Help Centre, one of di tins wey dia monetisation policy tok be say make di content be original. E tok say, “content wey dey unoriginal or reproduced witout any meaningful enhancement like commentary, parody or creative editing among odas, no fit dey monetised”.

BBC News Pidgin don reach out to Hyce management to get wetin be di reason of di copyright claim but neva get response.

However, di Ogechi remix music video don come back online afta one day of di copyright claim palava.

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