Renowned YouTuber MrBeast recently shared his thoughts on a contentious Twitter poll regarding the ethics of creators reposting others’ content as YouTube Shorts. He actively encouraged users to continue sharing his work despite the ongoing debate.
Marques Brownlee, widely recognized as MKBHD and boasting over 19.7 million subscribers, sparked this discussion by questioning the morality behind repurposing videos from fellow creators. His provocative poll asked followers how they would react if they discovered another channel was “stealing”their content, particularly in the form of Shorts that accrued nearly 100 million views.
If you found a YouTube channel that has been stealing your content, re-cutting it and uploading it as Shorts that have accumulated almost 100 million views, what would you do? Asking for a friend
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) January 6, 2025
MrBeast’s Support for Reposting Content
The poll garnered significant attention, resulting in over 162,000 votes within two days. The responses revealed a divide: 60% of users opted for “Ask to remove it,”while 40% favored “Leave it. It’s free promo.”MrBeast entered the conversation by expressing his support for content sharing, stating, “I wouldn’t mind, I encourage it!”
I wouldn’t mind, I encourage it!
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 6, 2025
This sentiment sparked mixed reactions, particularly concerning the implications for smaller creators. Some users voiced concerns, arguing that such encouragement might not resonate with less established channels that could suffer from lost revenue due to content theft. Others, however, aligned with MrBeast, indicating that for larger channels like his, sharing content could effectively serve as promotional leverage.
One user articulated that MrBeast’s perspective might not apply to smaller creators, emphasizing, “It doesn’t really matter for a creator with your large following, but for somebody that has an extremely smaller following, it’s stealing revenue, etc.”Meanwhile, supporters of MrBeast’s approach noted that promoting Shorts could lead viewers back to the creator’s main channel.
YouTube’s Official Position on Content Theft
In light of the growing discussion, TeamYouTube weighed in. They expressed empathy for those affected by content theft while highlighting their policies against impersonation. “Wanted to quickly jump in & help, we’re sorry to hear that you (or a ‘friend’) may be going through this,”they stated, assuring creators that their partner managers would investigate the issue.
Wanted to quickly jump in & help, we’re sorry to hear that you (or a ‘friend’ 😅) may be going through this. We have clear policies against impersonation (found here: https://t.co/raFOq5Qern) — rest assured, your partner manager is on it & has reached out to get more details!
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) January 7, 2025
YouTube’s policies explicitly discourage channel impersonation and personal impersonation, with potential consequences including channel termination. The platform reassures creators that protective measures are in place to combat these violations.
Encouragement for Content Sharing
MrBeast’s advocacy for content sharing isn’t a new phenomenon. Following the premiere of his show, “Beast Games,”on December 19 via Amazon Prime, he invited creators to react to the episode, indicating, “If you’re a streamer/YouTuber, I want to see your reaction to my new show tomorrow!”
If you’re a streamer/youtuber I want to see your reaction to my new show tomorrow!! I convinced Prime Video to let you guys react to episode 1 on stream and make reaction videos on it 😀
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) December 18, 2024
He further clarified that copyright restrictions were lifted for reactions to Episode 1, inviting creators to engage with his content while adhering to fair use norms: “This policy only applies to Episode 1.”The show rapidly gained traction, becoming the most successful unscripted series launch in Prime Video’s history and ranking as the most-watched Amazon show across more than 50 countries.
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