Nintendo making copyright claims on Mario Kart 8 YouTube videos

Ninetndo has begun making copyright claims against players uploading Mario Kart 8 videos to YouTube.

A copyright notice seen by GoNintendo reveals an alleged copyright notice for music used within the video. It is not clear however whether removing the music would work, though it has been suggested this can help avoid claims.

Such claims can cause content to be removed completely or strip away the monetisation rights from the video’s uploader, and in this case, send it to Nintendo.

It should be noted videos uploaded directly from Mario Kart 8 are unlikely to be affected by claims as they are already a part of Nintendo’s advertising program.

The alleged claims come shortly after Nintendo revealed initial details about a new affiliate program that would see the company share revenue from advertisements with content creators and Google.

To be eligible for that program however, users must first ask permission from Nintendo.

Following controversy last year over copyright claims against YouTube game videos, a series of developers publicly stated they would allow users and fans to upload content without any kind of charge or revenue-sharing deal.

Earlier this year game law experts Kostya Lobov and Nic Murfett of Harbottle & Lewis LLP analysed the legality of copyright claims on Let’s Play videos.