YouTube will start displaying a notice in Japanese on its Web site warning users against uploading copyright content, its two founders told representatives of a broad group of Japanese copyright holders on Tuesday in their first face-to-face meeting. The Japanese language message was the only concession YouTube offered in the meeting, according to those present. No time frame was given for when the message will appear.
The meeting, which ran for about two hours, was held in response to a complaint made in December last year by a group of 23 Japanese TV broadcasters and associations representing copyright holders. The group had also asked YouTube to register the names and addresses of users making uploads and terminate the accounts of those who illegally upload copyrighted content. "The meeting went quite well and it was a very friendly manner," said Satoshi Watanabe, manager of the transmission rights department at the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers. JASRAC sent the original complaint on behalf of the other companies and associations and Tuesday"s meeting was held at its Tokyo headquarters.