[Koolkat]

Is YouTube a viable method of proving a creation date for a piece of music or lyrics for Copyright purposes? I'm not only thinking about performance videos but sound tracks and written lyrics etc. The uploaded date is shown with the video and this could not be faked. In addition, if you did not want anyone else to see the work for a while, you could set up limited viewers. Just a thought

[tone]

While it's true the upload timestamp couldn't be faked (unless you work for google) I don't think it's a terribly reliable method of proving ownership.

While I never underestimate the importance of copyright, ask yourself this: when was the last time you heard of an unknown song being ripped off? Anyone who's been in the business more than 5 minutes knows you can't just lift something, so if they hear an idea they like, they'll more than likely take it, develop it and twist it till it can't really be called a copy any more.