Google announced today the the launch of the YouTube Video Identification beta.

"YouTube Video Identification will help copyright holders identify their works on YouTube. We have worked with Google to develop one-of-a-kind technology that can recognize videos based on a variety of factors. As its Beta status indicates, our Video Identification is brand-new, cutting-edge stuff, so we will be constantly refining and improving it. Early tests with content companies have shown very promising results. As we scale and refine our system, YouTube Video Identification will be available to all kinds of copyright holders all over the world, whether they want their content to appear on YouTube or not."

"No matter how accurate the tools get, it is important to remember that no technology can tell legal from infringing material without the cooperation of the content owners themselves. This means that copyright holders who want to use and help us refine our Video ID system will be providing the necessary information to help us recognize their work. We aim to make that process as convenient as possible."

You can read all about the new tool on this page. Google makes it quite clear in their first paragraph that "YouTube Video Identification goes well above and beyond our legal responsibilities."

On the Google Blog, they detailed their policies and tools to support copyright holders:

• A strict repeat-infringer policy, which has been in place since launch, terminates accounts of repeat infringers based on DMCA notices.
• YouTube takes a unique "hash" of every video removed for copyright infringement and block re-upload of that exact video file prospectively.
• YouTube requires a 10-minute limit on the length of content uploaded to the site.
• YouTube provides content owners with an electronic notification and takedown tool, to help them more easily identify their material and notify YouTube when to take it down with the click of a mouse.
• YouTube also publishes copyright tips for users in plain English and clear, prominent messaging at the time of user upload.