Formula 1 management make copyright claims on F1 footage on YouTube

In a recent piece on this site, Jack pointed out that one of the major differences between F1 and the World Rally Championship is the differing attitude of each series towards fan videos captured at events. While the WRC appears to actively encourage fans to record and share video footage of events they attend, F1 – specifically, its commercial arm Formula One Management – goes in the opposite direction, actually forcing the removal of fan videos from video sharing sites like YouTube.

It is clearly printed on every F1 ticket that spectators are free to take photos and videos of events for their own personal use. Once shared on the Internet, however, the use of video footage is clearly not “personal” – it is being broadcast to the public, a privilege that TV companies pay millions of dollars for every year. In that sense it is obvious why FOM act to take down videos captured by spectators; when a fan posts their videos on YouTube, or anywhere else on the Internet, they are in contravention of the conditions of sale of their ticket.

In general I don’t have too much sympathy for people who are unable to read their tickets properly. However, it is difficult to see – as many an aggrieved F1 fan has argued – how a few minutes of footage from a single location on the track can be considered a competitive threat to the professional TV broadcasts that reach the bulk of F1′s global audience.

Moreover, it is a convincing argument that fan footage can actually supplement the official broadcasts in some cases – such as in 2007, when clearer perspectives on both Robert Kubica’s horrific crash at Montreal, and Lewis Hamilton‘s controversial behaviour behind the safety car in Japan were provided by footage taken by fans and posted on YouTube. The Japanese Grand Prix stewards even used the footage of Hamilton to reconsider their decision that Sebastian Vettel was at fault for a collision behind the safety car, and subsequently rescinded the German’s ten-place grid penalty for the next race.

So we have a conflict – between FOM’s right to protect their interests (and those of the TV broadcasters), and to set their own conditions of entry for Grands Prix, against the potential benefits of Internet-based fan involvement in the sport – including greater marketing opportunities for the teams, whose cars are the subject of the unsolicited videos.

How best to resolve it? While some fans might like the idea of unrestricted rights to post their videos onto the Internet, it seems like this would be a step too far for FOM. Furthermore, developments in hand-held recording technology (such as mobile phones) and live streaming services like JustinTV, a suitably dedicated fan could conceivably – if not now, in the very near future – construct a serviceable, unlicenced Internet broadcast of a Grand Prix from their grandstand seat. And the TV broadcasters aren’t likely to be too happy about that, especially if it starts attracting many viewers at the expense of the official channels.

Perhaps the best solution would be for the official Formula One website to launch a “Fan Zone” section, where fans can upload and share footage taken at Grands Prix without fear of having those videos removed at short notice. There would be no need for fans to use YouTube or other sites, and FOM would be able to supplement their faceless YouTube copyright claims with a polite notice pointing users to the one location where such videos can be posted legitimately.

Much has been written about the need for Formula One to modernise in line with the growth of the Internet and social media. However, the traditional business model practiced by FOM is not – as has been alleged – completely broken, though it probably does need refining. The Formula One Teams’ Association has talked about the need to involve fans more in the sport: giving them somewhere to share their photos and videos would be a good start.