YouTube Ripping Sites Under Pressure to Log User Data

• Music labels are now looking to compel YouTube ripping sites to log user data and share it in court.
• These sites currently have user logging deactivated and would definitely like to keep it that way.
• If users hide their details behind VPN tools, these logs would have little value to copyright holders.

Despite the widespread legal action taken by record labels and copyright holders against YouTube ripping platforms all these years, the practical means through which to carry out the damaging activity remain in place in one form or another.

In what appears to be like an acceptance of this fact, major record labels are now trying to force these sites to log user data and store it properly for potential use in case of legal action. This is the next step after blocks, takedown notices, and dragging operators of these sites in courts of law, so we’ll have to see how it plays out.

The example of this new approach comes in the form of a legal request to compel Tofig Kurbanov to preserve and produce server data when requested by law enforcement. Kurbanov is the owner and operator of “FLVTO.biz” and “2conv.com”, two widely popular YouTube ripping sites that have resisted legal action even though it is generally accepted that they facilitate large-scale copyright infringement by allowing their users to rip YouTube videos and store them locally as audio files on their computers.

This is a big problem for both YouTube and the owners of this music because it allows those users to listen to music without ad interruptions, so the platform’s licensing model and revenue generation are simply overridden. Since Kurbanov cannot be touched due to jurisdiction issues, the music labels are now looking to target the users of these sites who reside in the U.S. By targeting even a sample of them, they could achieve a deterrent that would affect the entire space.

The only point of complication would remain the validity of the data that these platforms could log, even if they agreed to it. The main issue is the use of VPN tools from the users’ side, so even if the server logging function is activated, the data that ripping sites would have to share with courts would have little value. Still, it remains to be seen how Kurbanov will respond to this request and whether or not he will accept to comply or decide to fight this in court.