A new development is soon to reveals itself from the cultural phenomenon YouTube, currently the world’s most visited online video site. The video-sharing website recently upgraded its video upload limit to 15 minutes an increase from its previous 10 minute limit.  The question is, why are they only doing this now?

YouTube says that this issue has long perturbed its non-partner users who were requesting allowances for longer upload limits. The extra five minutes are now possible due to their state-of-the-art Content ID system. This system is used to protect content from all the major U.S. movie studios, music labels, global partners, and other copyright owners. Because of the success that this security system has brought, YouTube finally decided to increase its upload limit in an attempt to quell the users whose number one requested feature was a longer upload limit.

When the website first started, users were allowed to upload videos at various lengths. It was not until users started sharing pirated television shows and movies that the 10 minute limit was created. Because the standard, commercial-free television show is 20 minutes long, YouTube thought that creating a 10 minute upload limit would prevent the sharing of pirated works.

This however, has not stopped some users from committing these illegal acts. Many users have now chosen to upload pirated shows and movies in parts or increments. Other users find these appealing because they offer a free and commercial-free option aside from the legal choices those distributors like online video streaming sites, Netflix and Hulu offer. Recently, YouTube has been doing an exceptional job cracking down on these violators and taking the appropriate and necessary actions to reprimand them. Some actions the website now takes against violators are account suspension or deletion, video deletion, and disabling audio on videos.