[Scarlett.]

Following Warner's decision to pull its premium music videos from video-hosting site YouTube, the distributor has decided that enough is enough and is removing any amateur footage that features its music.

This is not the first time that amateur movies featuring copyrighted tracks have disappeared or – even worse – turned mute, but Warner is now recalling 'tens of thousands of tracks', according to a lawyer from the Electric Frontier Foundation (EFF).

Sharing the frustration

Warner spokesperson Will Tanous has defended the move, saying: "We and our artists share the user community's frustration when content is unavailable.

"YouTube generates revenues from content posted by fans, which typically requires licenses from rights holders. Under the current process, we make YouTube aware of WMG content. Their content ID tool then takes down all unlicensed tracks, regardless of how they are used."

When Warner first announced its intention to pull content from the site back in December, it assured YouTube users it was a temporary measure and that it was "working actively to find a resolution with YouTube that would enable the return of our artists' content to the site."

With this new development, it looks like an agreement is still a long way from being reached.

MSN News