Premier League gets tough on Vine videos
August 15, 2014
The English Premier League has warned fans who post Vine videos of top-flight matches are in breach of copyright law.
The league’s governing body said it is now working with social media providers such as Twitter to take down pirated clips. Within moments of goals being scored, Vine videos – which streams six-second looped clips appear online. They are typically clips of television action filmed by fans at home, although those inside the ground also broadcast key moments.
Broadcasters pay billions for the exclusive rights to show Premier League action, while newspapers such as The Sun have recently launched apps showing goals within minutes of them being scored.
Now the Premier League has said it is clamping down on the online craze, which peaked during this summer’s World Cup.
A spokesman for the Premier League said: “The use of Vines and GIFs to show Premier League football is a breach of copyright, and we would encourage fans to use legitimate means to access this content, such as The Sun or The Times goal apps. We are working with social media providers to take down pirated clips and hope fans understand the need to maintain the investment model that produces the football they love.”
It is understood that the league is developing GIF and Vine crawlers to automatically detect the offending material.