AFP

San Francisco, Oct 17: YouTube has put in place software to block the posting of pirated videos and appease content owners that accuse the popular website of being a willing accomplice to copyright abuses.
      
YouTube Video Identification is billed as an anti-piracy platform custom built with the help of Google, which bought YouTube last year in a USD 1.65 billion stock deal.
      
Since the purchase, Google has been under fire from video owners including entertainment giant Viacom and the English soccer league for not doing more to stop users from posting copyrighted clips at the website.

YouTube maintains it is adhering to US law by taking down copyrighted material when owners complain but has been under pressure to more vigilantly thwart the transgressions.
      
New York City-based Viacom has a pending billion-dollar lawsuit against YouTube for not blocking pirated videos from the website.
      
YouTube Video Identification software put into use at the website is a test, or beta, version that the Northern California company plans to hone.
      
"We expect to hit unforeseen bumps and bottlenecks as we refine, improve, and scale the system to meet everyone's needs," YouTube product manager David King and partner development manager Glenn Brown said in a posting at the company's website.
      
The system allows copyright holders to automatically identify their content at YouTube then block or promote the videos, or join forces with YouTube to make revenue with advertising.