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to reconsider their decision that Sebastian Vettel was at fault for a collision behind the safety car, and subsequently rescinded the German’s ten-place grid penalty for the next race.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.

When I was sat, earlier on today watching the World Rally Championship season preview on Dave, seeing all the drivers having discussions with their fans, and signing caps etc, it got me thinking about how, in some respects, rallying is so much better than Formula 1.

In Formula 1, everything is so corporate, with the McLaren drivers playing around with their strategically placed Vodafone mobiles, and Felipe Massa wearing a watch the size of his face. Even Red Bull Racing and their sister team Toro Rosso, who many people argue to be the least corporate teams in F1 can still be seen waving a Red Bull water bottle in full glare of the camera. The drivers seem false and you don’t know what a driver really thinks – is he saying that because he really believes it, or is it because he doesn’t want to upset Mobil 1?

However in rallying the drivers have a lot less sponsorship work to do. In fact the only sponsorship work most of the WRC drivers have to do is wear overalls and drive a car with the brand’s name and logo on.

And the fans; WRC encourage and embrace fan footage, and even use it in their TV programs! This is in stark contrast to Bernie and his mob, who take Formula 1 footage off the web the minute it is posted up there, as well as displaying a ‘do not redistribute or face imminent death’ screen before you can actually click onto the proper video section of their website, and saying that you are not allowed to bring a camera to a Grand Prix with a total focal strength of greater than 300mm!

In the WRC the fans are so much closer to the drivers. I’m not suggesting that the F1 fans should be allowed to stand at the end of the Abu Dhabi straight before running to the side of the track as the cars pass through, or push drivers out of the gravel trap like they can do on rally stages, but I believe that the fans should have a better relationship with the drivers.

Petter Solberg chatting with fans in the service park at Rally Norway

You can see WRC drivers like Petter Solberg having discussions with the fans and signing autographs in the service park, just minutes before getting into the car and driving the rally stage. There is very little of this type of opportunity to get up close and personal with the drivers in Formula 1.

The last thing which WRC can teach F1 is in regards to the politics side of things. 2007 F1 World Champ Kimi Raikkonen who has made the switch to rallying, said on his move: “In F1, politics gets in the way of the exciting side of things. The atmosphere in rallying is much nicer and there’s a lot less politics involved. It’s much more about how the driver performs.” And he is exactly right. There is no messing around with rules, everyone is on a level playing field and in agreement in that the only thing that matters is that the drivers get out there, and drive as fast as they can.