Google Wants YouTube Rip Sites to Discontinue Services

Google has sent cease and desist letters to several YouTube video ripping sites, threatening lawsuits. The websites in question allow users to create mp3 files from music videos.

YouTube-MP3.org is the largest of the rated websites, with a number of visitors of 1.3 million per day. Google has sent a letter stating that the website must stop ripping sound from video files, as this violates the terms of the YouTube API. The letter in question is in hands from TorrentFreak, but has not been made public by Google itself. The internet giant has also sent a letter to Music-Clips.net, which offers similar services.

Google is reportedly giving the affected websites seven days to stop ripping music, which has already blocked access to YouTube from YouTube-MP3.org’s servers. However, the service still seems to work; the site in question informs TorrentFreak that it does not use the API that Google offers, but obtains the video files in a different way. However, Google is nevertheless threatening legal action if the site does not discontinue its services.

There are many websites that allow users to rip audio or video content from Google’s video website. According to TorrentFreak, websites that offer other or similar services are also being addressed, but it is unclear whether these also include video ripping sites.

Ripsites for YouTube have been around for some time and it is unclear why Google has decided to act against them now. Perhaps this move was spurred by the entertainment industry, which doesn’t like users downloading their content from YouTube.