Cricket’s governing body has ordered YouTube to remove clips from the Cricket World Cup, claiming copyright infringement.
The International Cricket Council told parent Google it must take down hundreds of clips in order to protect the rights of its commercial broadcasting partners.
Cricket fans had been ripping clips from legitimate TV coverage of the competition, currently being held in the West Indies.
Links to such videos remained in Google search results today, but videos themselves have disappeared, replaced by a notice:
“This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by ICC Development (International) Limited and Global Cricket Corporation Pte Limited.”
Christopher Stokes, CEO of ICC’s rights agency NetResult, told The Guardian:
“In today’s world, broadcasters buy highlights as well as live coverage and mobile rights. There is an obligation to protect them.”
But some cricket journalists and bloggers say YouTube exposure, especially with the audience dip resulting from India’s exit, could have grown attention for the tournament.