YouTube wants to make it even easier for users to search for content: By searching with hashtags, users are now only shown the content that really fits the desired topic.
For some time now, videos on YouTube have been tagged with hashtags to make them easier to find. Up to now, when entering hashtags, viewers were not only shown content corresponding to the search, but also “related content”.
For a better overview, YouTube is now introducing a new dedicated results page for searches with hashtags, on which only content corresponding to the hashtag can be seen, as announced in a blog entry. Both desktop and app users ( iOS and Android ) can already use the new feature.
YouTube: Dedicated hashtag search results pages
If you search for #Netflix, only content that was either uploaded by Netflix itself or that deals with films, series and Co. from the streaming provider is displayed. YouTube says that the “best videos” are at the top of the list. The company, which belongs to Google, does not write how this is fixed.
The hashtag search is not limited to explicit keywords such as Netflix: You can also search for generic terms such as “gaming”, “sport” or the like via hashtag in order to see a page that only displays suitable content.
Just a few months ago, YouTube announced that it was revising the controls for the apps for iOS and Android. YouTube also announced new updates on YouTube live streaming views. New update has to be available in the second quarter of the year.
Lie for the lawsuit? YouTube litigation takes a surprising turn
YouTube is repeatedly confronted with lawsuits from artists and studios accusing the platform of infringing copyrights. A recently published class action lawsuit has now taken a surprising turn: the plaintiffs apparently uploaded protected videos themselves in order to then complain about alleged copyright infringements.
Pirate Monitor Ltd filed a class action lawsuit against YouTube this summer. The accusation: YouTube has too lax regulations to prevent third parties from uploading protected content, whereby smaller video creators in particular are clearly disadvantaged. The plaintiffs hoped to gain access to the Content ID system, which can independently filter out uploads.
YouTube: Plaintiffs appear to have made serious mistakes
YouTube pointed out that research revealed that the defendant videos were almost exclusively short clips from little-known Hungarian films, all of which were uploaded by users with an ID from Pakistan. As a result, one of the uploaders made the mistake of logging in using a Hungarian IP that exactly matched the one from which Pirate Monitor Ltd filed its complaints on YouTube.
YouTube concluded that the plaintiffs uploaded the videos themselves and subsequently sued for copyright infringement.
The filmmakers replied that YouTube had no hard evidence to support the allegations. However, according to YouTube, one discovery was enough to reveal the attempted fraud.
How things will continue in the case will not be seen until 2021: A new court date is scheduled for the beginning of the year, in which a decision will be made on how to proceed.