TOKYO (AP) - The popular U.S.-based video-sharing Web site YouTube has deleted nearly 30,000 files over copyright concerns after being asked by a group representing Japan's entertainment industry.
The Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers, found 29,549 files such as video clips from TV programs, music videos and movies posted on YouTube's site without permission, said Fumiyuki Asakura, an official from the organization, on Friday.
The group found the files posted by users without authorization from Japanese copyright holders during research done earlier this month, Asaskura said.
Acting on behalf of 23 Japanese TV stations and movie and music companies, the group asked YouTube to remove the copyrighted materials, he said.
San Bruno, California-based YouTube quickly removed all the files requested, he said.
Most videos posted on YouTube are homemade, but the site also features volumes of copyrighted material - a problem that has caused some critics to predict the startup eventually would be sued.
Asakura said the entertainment industry group is considering asking YouTube to introduce a preliminary screening process to prevent illegal video clips from being posted.
Since YouTube started in February 2005, the company has blossomed, now showing more than 100 million video clips per day.
YouTube's worldwide audience was 72.1 million by August, up 2.8 million from a year earlier, according to comScore Media Metrix.
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