Soundcloud Tries To Dodge Hate By Releasing Copyright Statement

Sorry Soundcloud, but you are not getting out of this one. Even though I will admit that the site is legally in the right with the statement they released to Mixmag, I still have to say that their actions are quite ridiculous. For one, they’ve let most unofficial remixes slide for how many years now, despite their policy? Alright, well that’s not quite strong enough logic to back my case; however, the fact that unofficial remixes will always be a thing, means that not only Soundcloud, but labels like Universal should deal with the situation more practically than just with slaughter. One thing that bugs me, is the fact that Soundcloud isn’t even the one chopping heads, Universal is. That’s why they released this statement:

“As a responsible hosting platform, we work hard to ensure that everyone’s rights are respected. In the case of rights holders, that means having processes in place to ensure that any content posted without authorisation is removed quickly and efficiently.

In the case of users, that means having separate processes in place to ensure that any content removed in error can be reinstated equally quickly. If any user believes that content has been removed in error – for example, because they had the necessary permissions from Universal Music and/or any other rights holder – then they are free to dispute the takedown.”

When it comes down to it, we’d have to get into copyright law and the exact meaning of “fair use” in regards to people creating bootlegs, because that’s really what this is about. US Copyright law delineates what constitutes fair use, however the amount of grey area in what exactly is “fair” is pretty vast. The situation is likely to get uglier before it gets better. With that in mind, prepare for more news and comments about the matter.

Source: Mixmag