Google tells operators of YouTube-MP3.org that by converting YouTube music videos into MP3 files, they violate the site's terms of service and risk 'legal consequences.'
Google is apparently cracking down on a popular site that converts the music from YouTube videos into MP3s.
YouTube-MP3.org has received a letter from Google, YouTube's parent company, that notifies the site operators converting videos this way violates YouTube's terms of service, according to the blog TorrentFreak, which said it has seen the letter.
In addition, YouTube blocked YouTube-MP3.org's servers from accessing the site.YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment but we will update as soon as we hear back.
The top four record companies have pressured YouTube for months to do more to thwart the multitude of services offering these types of conversions. YouTube has spent big money to license music videos as well as enable users to incorporate music into their clips free of charge.
Google, however, has also been one of the biggest supporters of free culture and a proponent of protecting the Internet from censorship. It's a tough tightrope walk for Google to manage its interests in premium media while also defending an open Internet.
Whether the letter is an isolated event or reflective of a larger campaign to boot conversion sites off YouTube remains to be seen.
The way these conversion sites work is a user plugs in a YouTube URL into a tab field and the service creates an MP3 file of the music.
TorrentFreak says that the letter was written by Harris Cohen, a YouTube associate product counsel. He reportedly wrote that if the site continues to operate as is, it may result in "legal consequences."
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