Google Wants YouTube Rip Sites To Stop Their 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 websites contacted, with a daily traffic of 1.3 million. Google has sent a letter saying that the website should stop ripping sound from video files as it violates the terms of the YouTube API. The letter in question is in the hands of 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, with access to YouTube from YouTube-MP3.org’s servers already blocked. However, the service still seems to work; opposite TorrentFreak, the site in question says not to use the api that Google offers, but to obtain the video files in another way. However, Google still threatens legal action if the site does not discontinue its services.

There are many websites that allow users to rip audio or video material from Google’s video website. According to TorrentFreak, websites that offer other or similar services are also 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 decided to act now. Perhaps this move was spurred by the entertainment industry, which doesn’t like users downloading their content from YouTube.