Google seeking to shut down YouTube-toMP3 conversion websites
by Andrew Moran (Guest contributor/Digital Journalist)
Internet juggernaut Google is seeking to shut down a very popular website that converts YouTube videos into MP3 files. The search engine giant wrote a letter to YouTube-MP3.org saying it has violated YouTube’s terms of service.
For years, YouTube users have been able to download music from the top video streaming website. Visitors simply copy and paste the URL into a bar on YouTube-MP3.org and within moments the file is converted into a MP3 file.
Google is seeking to end this practice. The Internet company issued a letter to the website threatening legal action for violating YouTube’s terms of services, according to the blogTorrentFreak.com, which claims to have seen the letter. It said the letter was written by Harris Cohen, YouTube associate product counsel.
Furthermore, Google has blocked the website’s servers from accessing YouTube. This seems to be something that Google has been pressured to do for months from the top four record companies as well as content owners, who want an end to these YouTube conversion websites.
The blog did report that similar sites are starting to be targeted. This may be a daunting task for Google because if one types in the terms “YouTube MP3” into its search bar, there are 4.2 million results for users looking to get music off YouTube.
“We would estimate that there are roughly 200 million people across the world that make use of services like ours and Google doesn’t just ignore all those people, they are about to criminalize them,” said Philip, the website owner, in an interview with the blog. “With the way they are interpreting and creating their ToS every one of those 200 million users is threatened to be sued by Google.”
Statistics from BizInformation.com suggest thatYouTube-MP3.org generates more than 40,000 visitors a day.
Google or YouTube have not officially commented on this situation publicly.
This article was originally published on Digital Journal [Link]