We all know you are trying to rip the new Madeon off YouTube. Well, you might have some issues with that. Users are reporting that YouTube is blocking several stream ripping sites. While the reasons as to why this is occurring right now are not known, this could be a move for YouTube to crack down on stream ripping sites. Typically, the RIAA has been filing lawsuits and subpoenas to stream ripping sites and their domains. This move directly from YouTube is something very different.
Although, this isn’t the first time stream ripping sites have been facing issues this year. The RIAA has been attempting to take down stream ripping sites religiously. They have been going after Y2Mate, FLVTO.biz, and YouTubNow among many others. But, this move with YouTube seems like a completely different approach. Without massive amounts of legal hurdles, YouTube is taking this into their own hands.
TorrentFreak is reporting that many servers are currently being blocked. Sites such as dlnowsoft.com and mp3-youtube.download are facing issues on their sites as well. Onlinevideoconverter.com, one of the most visited sites on the internet is also showing error messages.
RIAA Cracking Down on Stream Ripping
I reported earlier last month about the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) taking down many stream ripping sites. Some of these sites such as Y2Mate are globally ranked. Y2Mate is ranked at 439, and is one of the most visited sites on the internet. With over 64 million unique visits in May, people want to download their YouTube content, and want it now.
In closing, will this move from YouTube be effective? Will this once and for all shut down these stream ripping sites? The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has defended stream ripping in the past. Relating it to that of a “photocopy machine” or “video recorder”, citing them as “neutral technologies”. Well, as technology continues to evolve faster than the laws around them, we will have to wait and see.
