There is no YouTube Filter; It’s AudibleMagic

After months of intense and very public debate, closely tied to the Google acquisition, YouTube is reported to have licensed copyright filtering technology from AudibleMagic. The San Jose Mercury News cites two unnamed sources as saying that Google will soon unveil filtering technology for YouTube from the leading third party filtering provider, Audible Magic.

What does this mean? It means that the months of assurances that YouTube had copyright filtering technology in development and about to be implemented were either a ruse to buy time or a failed effort that has collapsed under pressure today.

Ten days ago it was announced that MySpace has licensed AudibleMagic’s filtering technology for copyright protection. The huge question that everyone asked was - what does this mean for YouTube? While reactions ranged from waiting with baited breath for a mystery technology to accusations of mafia like behavior on YouTube’s part - the truth may be something far more mundane. YouTube was arguably never a technology company in the first place.

Google and YouTube spokespeople have made repeated statements about the imminence of content filtering but did not respond to the Merc’s report.