YouTube CEO says it’s impossible for the platform to comply with EU’s copyright regulation

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In her most recent blog post the YouTube CEO, Susan Wojcicki, questioned the UE’s copyright proposal regulations. For Susan, it’s impossible for the platform to comply with the suggested regulations.

The post talks directly about Article 13, a part of the copyright directive that calls for stricter copyright infringement enforcement that puts the responsibility on the platform instead of the user.

This marks the first time the CEO has vehemently stated that YouTube does not have the technical or financial capabilities to enforce the kind of copyright restriction the European Union is seeking. In her eyes, YouTube doesn’t have the technical or financial skills to assure the restrictions UE’s wants to impose.

“The parliament’s approach is unrealistic in many cases because copyright owners often disagree over who owns what rights. If the owners cannot agree, it is impossible to expect the open platforms that host this content to make the correct rights decisions.”

She used the global hit music Despacito as an example of videos that contains multiple copyrights and explained how complicated the process can become. Although YouTube has agreements with multiple entities to license and pay for the video, some of the rights holders remain unknown, she explained.

“Multiply that risk with the scale of YouTube, where more than 400 hours of video are uploaded every minute, and the potential liabilities could be so large that no company could take on such a financial risk.”

She finished the post asking for policymakers to find a solution that protects both right holders and creators.