Nintendo Claiming Advertising Revenue From User-Created Youtube Videos, Will Add Ads To Videos

Nintendo has announced that they will start claiming advertising revenue from user-created Youtube videos such as Let's Play and other videos of game footage, and add advertisements onto them as well. Nintendo has issued a statement about the move to Gamefront:

"As part of our on-going push to ensure Nintendo content is shared across social media channels in an appropriate and safe way, we became a Youtube partner and as such in February 2013 we registered our copyright content in the Youtube database. For most fan videos this will not result in any changes, however, for those videos featuring Nintendo-owned content, such as images or audio of a certain length, adverts will now appear at the beginning, next to or at the end of the clips. We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on Youtube, and that is why, unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property."

It seems as though Nintendo, rather than taking down content featuring their copyrighted material without permission as many companies do, have decided that they would rather make money off their fans than punish them. While some may not agree with this decision, Nintendo has every right to protest copyright violations and collect revenue from these videos if they so choose. However, many people who make their living creating these videos will now have to find a different source for their videos. Youtube copyright guidelines state that users who purchase content still do not have the right to upload it without permission.

It looks like this move by Nintendo is the latest move in the ongoing conflict between copyright owners and fans creating their own content based off of it. A famous example of this conflict is the conflict between the company that distributed the movie Downfall and the creators of Hitler Reacts videos.  The studio, Constantin Films, forces Youtube to take down the parody videos, claiming they violate copyright laws.