Copyright has always been a prevalent thing on the internet, but many online creators are now starting to debate the limits of it on YouTube.
The two foremost subjects of this debate and controversy are YouTubers Jack Douglass and Alia Shelesh, who go by the online names Jacksfilms and SSSniperWolf, respectively. They started clashing several months ago when Douglass started an alternative YouTube channel named JJJacksfilms where he produced content reacting to Shelesh’s own videos.
Douglass’s videos on the JJJacksfilms channel helped catch attention of other online creators who noticed their content being used in SSSniperWolf videos without proper credit or forewarning. He instructed these creators who were coming forward to issue a copyright strike to the SSSniperWolf channel due to their content being used in a way that wasn’t necessarily transformative.
“Transformativeness is usually key in the fair use analysis. Giving credit to the owner of a copyrighted work won’t by itself turn a non-transformative copy of their material into fair use. Phrases like ‘all rights go to the author’ and ‘I do not own’ don’t automatically mean you’re making fair use of that material. They also don’t mean you have the copyright owner’s permission,” YouTube’s terms of service says. They state the new content needs to be transformative, meaning the source material needs to be changed or added on in a way that adds new content or insight.
Douglass’s argument was that Shelesh’s reactions to content she had gathered simply wasn’t transformative enough. He points out her lack of insight, her bland reactions and how sometimes she simply forgets to react to a video shown. He even started a game out of this on the JJJacksfilms channel, creating a bingo board of things frequently seen in videos on the SSSniperWolf channel and encouraging viewers to play along.
His antics flew under the radar until a few weeks ago when Shelesh addressed them. In an Instagram story posted to her account, she displayed a picture of the exterior of Douglass’s house with the caption “let’s talk like adults.” Her account has over 5 million followers, meaning his house was free to view for anyone who saw the story.
This action is called doxing and includes sharing any information about an individual that isn’t public knowledge, such as an address or phone number.
YouTube avoided addressing these actions until Oct. 20 when they posted a statement on X.
“Off platform actions that put others’ personal safety at risk harm our community & the behavior on both sides isn’t what we want on YT. Hoping everyone helps move this convo to a better place,” said YouTube’s support account.
YouTube also issued a temporary demonetization to the SSSniperWolf channel due to her actions. Many people have thought that she deserves a more extensive punishment, but as of Oct. 25, the situation is still unfolding.