Facebook has acquired US-based content rights management startup Source3 as part of it’s efforts to weed out pirated videos and other content that users share without permission. The move will also help independent content creators to better monetize their content through the News Feed.
Source3 builds technology to detect intellectual property that has been shared by Internet users without permission. Its technology allows it to recognize brand IP in user-created content and commerce marketplaces, allowing brands to measure their presence or take action against copyrights and trademarks infringement.
According to a report in ReCode on Monday, Facebook is acquiring both the technology and some of the core team members of Source3.
“We’re excited to work with the Source3 team and learn from the expertise they’ve built in intellectual property, trademarks and copyright. As always, we are focused on ensuring we serve our partners well,” the report quoted a Facebook spokesperson as saying.
The acquisition makes Source3 fully integrated with Facebook and does not make it a standalone startup. It has already taken down its website and Twitter account.
The new team and technology from Source3 will augment Facebook’s Rights Manager software that detects and removes video clips shared by people who do not have rights to the video and could potentially help content creators identify unapproved appearances of their work.
Facebook has been struggling to crack down on pirated content for a long time. Earlier this year, the social media giant added another option for rights holders: “Leave the content up, and make money off the views that these pirates are generating for you.”
Source: IANS
