Tumblr has jumped on the bandwagon of social media services working to prevent copyright infractions from occurring on its pages, as TorrentFreak reports the service has become more aggressive in alerting users of violations and cracking down accordingly.
According to a statement made by a Tumblr representative to Billboard, nothing has changed in the service's policy on copyright infringement. Which is true: It has always had a three-strike process by which users receive a tick for every uncontested violation they are responsible for in an 18-month period before having their blog removed from Tumblr. There may not be a difference in policy, but there is a change in implementation.
Music rights organizations such as the RIAA and IFPI have taken more aggressive stances toward social media platforms such as Tumblr and YouTube in recent months, resulting in the operators of those sites (Yahoo and Google, respectively) to take more involved roles in scouting out violators to avoid hassle and potential fines. Tumblr for one has begun using an "audio fingerprinting" technology that allows it to identify when a user is posting something illegal. The service will instantly alert the user and suggest other legal methods of showing the same content, such as Vevo or Spotify.
Many of the problems stem from users not realizing that what they're posting is illegal. Many use YouTube to find songs or music videos from performers and don't realize many of those formats are illegal unless moderated by Vevo or a similar service. While views of a Vevo post bring small royalty payments back to the performer, a fan video of the same song doesn't.
Tumblr, a site that many unwitting music fans use to blog about what they're digging at the moment, could be a major player in boosting the use of proper outlets.
