The news agency is using a chink in YouTube’s copyright policy in India to shut down news content producers if they dont cough up large sums for using its videos and visuals.
New revelations prove: When facing ANI, YouTubers grapple with uncertainty as YouTube's vague and discretionary fair-use policy dictates content decisions and channels’ fate.
The news clip service has submitted sample contracts signed with YouTubers it blamed for copyright infringement
India’s largest news agency, ANI, has found a lucrative new revenue stream: weaponizing YouTube’s "death-row" copyright strikes to extract millions from independent creators. While the agency claims to be protecting its property, our investigation revealed a predatory system that bypasses "fair use" laws, aided by YouTube’s unwillingness to protect its creators. From secret contracts to court admissions of taking up to ₹45 lakh from single creators, this series uncovers how a traditional media giant weaponised copyright law to squeeze the life out of digital news and satire.
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