I strongly suspect Youtube no longer wants to be a general purpose streaming site. They want to be a curated distributor, the next Netflix with a strong social component. Of course they have a paid tier now, but the next step in their transition is to encourage high-risk, low-value channels to <i>leave</i>.<p>Obviously, Youtube&#x27;s claim system is intentionally designed to favor rights-holders, they would probably have half a dozen Viacom lawsuits on their hands if it weren&#x27;t as aggressive as possible. But I believe the dispute resolution system is designed poorly on purpose so that channels that receive numerous takedowns will be encouraged to disappear, or to no longer use copyrighted content <i>regardless of whether or not it&#x27;s covered by fair use.</i><p>Youtube wants that content to only be distributed by the rights-holders through official or approved channels, and eventually only through the paid tier, and they want to prove to media companies that they&#x27;re capable of exerting that degree of control over digital distribution. Which means they also couldn&#x27;t care less about Doug Walker, Jim Sterling or GradeAUnderA. They do care about Sony and Disney and what will make money in the future.<p>This is just speculation on my part, but it feels true. Given their recent debacle with G+ integration, they seem to regard Youtube as a problem to be solved, rather than a service that deserves to stand on its own.