OpenAI Triumphs in Legal Bout Against Progressive Publishers, Yet the Championship Round Still Looms Ahead
“OpenAI Scored a Legal Win Over Progressive Publishers—but the Fight’s Not Finished”
“Back in 2017, YouTube started implementing its new monetization policy. As part of the crackdown, it demonetized hundreds of thousands of videos, sparking outrage among its creative community. But it also birthed something unexpected: A legal theory that could make big tech accountable for every scrap of content on their platforms.”
Ah, who doesn’t love unintended consequences? Strap in, readers, because we’re diving into not just the intricacies of YouTube’s monetization policy, but how its fallout might change the game forever for big tech and content responsibilities.
Yes, you read that right. The proverbial genie might not go back in the bottle if this legal theory gains traction. Since YouTube started demonetizing droves of videos, they initiated a chain reaction that led to a curious and potentially game-changing legal hypothesis.
According to this theory, tech companies might be held accountable for every bit of the content on their platforms. Oh, joy! We’re not talking about just the dishearteningly bad renditions of ’80s ballads here, but absolutely everything.
On one side of the argument, we have tech giants claiming their platforms are merely conduits, neutral and unaccountable for what users dump on them. Be it deepfake Mark Zuckerbergs or grandma’s knitting tutorials, they say they have no responsibility.
Then here comes the unexpected side effect of YouTube’s melodramatic monetization policy shift. It’s this: If you control what earns and what doesn’t, then are you not influence-bound? Are you not the puppet master manipulating which content gets the spotlight and which content gets retired to cyber obscurity?
Are tech giants just innocent messengers or silent moderators who hold an invisible hand? Well, maybe it’s finally time to debate this further.
One particular case involves so-called evidence-gathering company, OpenA. The company argues that tech firms are in the influence game just as much as generating revenue.
Let’s say, if these tech companies regulate and demonetize content because it doesn’t meet certain ‘community guidelines,’ then shouldn’t this invalidate their common carrier status? Oh, it’s a perfect raw and ruthless question for our friends at the big tech companies.
For anyone riding the rollercoaster of modern copyright law, this suggests a significant shift in power dynamics. If passed, this legal theory would put tech giants squarely in the middle, with every single content on their platforms served up for potential scrutiny.
So, let’s brace ourselves. The murky waters of big tech accountability are about to get a lot murkier, but perhaps even more transparent.