Nintendo allows Let’s Play videos but claims the ad revenue

The battle between YouTube, video game creators, and content uploaders took an interesting turn with Nintendo. GameFront reports that Nintendo has begun issuing “Content ID Match” claims to YouTube for users’ Let’s Play videos. The filing allows Nintendo to essentially take over the ad revenue of the video, denying the user any income for that upload. Nintendo issued the following statement regarding the claims.

“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.”

As the statement points out, other companies like Activision/Blizzard and EA, have issued copyright claims to YouTube for Let’s Play uploads that resulted in the videos being completely taken down.

Prolific YouTube Let’s Play producers have protested the move saying that Nintendo’s actions denies them the ad revenue they deserve for their creations. They claim that they add commentary, reviews, and even help to sell the games they showcase. The YouTube FAQ points out that purchasing or hosting media content does not give the user the right to upload it.