Earlier this week Twitch announced a number of changes that will affect how you stream and enjoy your favourite streamers.
These changes include:
- A new Content ID system that will scan for unauthorized third-party audio in saved broadcasts and highlights and will mute thirty minute segments if anything is found.
- Past broadcasts will only be saved up to 60 days for Turbo and Partner users and 14 days for normal users.
- Highlight videos will be saved indefinitely and can up to two hours in length.
That’s only the tip of the iceberg. If Twitch were to fully implement Youtube’s Content ID system, certain video games and the content within them (like songs) would also be flagged.
This change would be extremely detrimental for streamers who like to play games that do not allow monetization as their past broadcasts and highlights would be in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
What does this mean exactly? Let’s say you really love Nintendo games and they are the only games you stream. If you have several streams of Nintendo games saved as highlights on your Twitch channel, Nintendo could file DMCA claims against your videos with their content, which could result in the termination of your account.
So what can you do to keep your account safe?
- Do not include any images, sounds, or music that you do not own the rights to.
- Make sure that any images , sounds, or music you do use is royalty free so can monetize your videos.
- Only stream games if developers allow it. See a list of friendly developers here.
Alternatively, if you’ve completely lost faith in Twitch you could jump ship and start streaming on one of the following sites: http://www.hitbox.tv/ and http:// gaminglive.tv/.