How can YouTube do this?

[shrinkmaster]

Jurisdiction

California

They started this a while ago and I was wondering how they can legally do this? If you are a "creator" (Make YouTube videos) you can get monetized! This means Youtube puts ads on your videos and you get money if ads are clicked on viewed etc. Its not much (pennies really). Ok what they ar enow doing is even if you dont meet criteria to use this monetized videos program YouTue can still put ads on your videos and NOT share revenue!? How is it they can legally take a creators videos and make money off them an dnot share that with the creator? If the creator met criteria to be monetized then they would. So again how is this legal and why has no one challenged this?

 

[Tax Counsel]

So again how is this legal and why has no one challenged this?

It's legal for a very simple reason: YouTube is a private company and if you want to put up your videos on the platform this private company offers then you must agree to the company's terms of service (TOS). One of those terms is the following:

Right to Monetize

You grant to YouTube the right to monetize your Content on the Service (and such monetization may include displaying ads on or within Content or charging users a fee for access). This Agreement does not entitle you to any payments. Starting November 18, 2020, any payments you may be entitled to receive from YouTube under any other agreement between you and YouTube (including for example payments under the YouTube Partner Program, Channel memberships or Super Chat) will be treated as royalties. If required by law, Google will withhold taxes from such payments.
​

So, as you can see, it's right in the agreement that YouTube can monetize your videos and does't have to share revenue with you. As it is known by pretty much everyone that YouTube puts ads in pretty much every video, I can't imagine any content creators being surprised by this even if they haven't read the TOS. But like using any site, you really should read the TOS to understand your rights and obligations before jumping in.

 

[adjusterjack]

Here it is, straight from youtube's terms of service:

"Right to Monetize - You grant to YouTube the right to monetize your Content on the Service (and such monetization may include displaying ads on or within Content or charging users a fee for access). This Agreement does not entitle you to any payments."

Terms of Service (youtube.com)

That's part of the contract you bind yourself to when you post a video on youtube's "property."

 

[Zigner]

For the viewer, upgrading to the premium version of YouTube removes those ads.

 

[flyingron]

Google's circus, google's monkeys.

 

[zddoodah]

I was wondering how they can legally do this?

Regardless of the subject matter, the answer to this question is that anything can be legally done if there is no law that says it's illegal.

Ok what they ar enow doing is even if you dont meet criteria to use this monetized videos program YouTue can still put ads on your videos and NOT share revenue!?

Despite your use of a question mark, this sentence is not a question.

How is it they can legally take a creators videos and make money off them an dnot share that with the creator?

You'll need to read what I assume is a very long set of terms of service (although others apparently have located the relevant provision for you).

No one compels anyone to use YouTube for uploading videos to the internet. If you choose to use this private company's services, you do it in accordance with the terms of service.