Instead of just pulling down copyright-infringing clips, copyright owners are choosing to use YouTube's filters to generate advertising revenue, Google said on Wednesday.
Late last year, Google introduced a copyright-identification system — Video ID — which tracks unauthorised videos. The system allows a copyright owner to block the clip, leave it up or enable YouTube to sell ads against the material.
Google stated on its blog on Wednesday that copyright owners were choosing to make money from unauthorised clips 90 percent of the time.
"It's clear to our 300 [plus] Video ID partners that our technology has created a framework that allows copyright holders to sanction the creativity of their biggest fans," Google said. "These partners now have a new way to successfully distribute and market their content online."
These statistics can be used to counter arguments that YouTube costs copyright owners money. Viacom has filed a $1bn (£544m) lawsuit against Google and YouTube for allegedly encouraging users to commit copyright infringement.
Google has always said that most of the savvy media companies choose not to wage war with YouTube. Instead they are clasping hands with the web's number-one video-sharing site and using it to promote shows and generate ad revenue.
Several start-ups are working on technology that will track unauthorised videos wherever they exist on the web and then insert an advertisement into the clips.
Commenting on the moral dilemma that copyright owners face when profiting from copyright-infringing videos, Fred von Lohmann at the Electronic Frontier Foundation said: "The second [that big media companies] say 'yes' to profiting from those clips this way, it will make it hard for them to argue that ISPs should be forced to screen for unauthorised material. It's hard to make that argument when you're being compensated."
Von Lohman also wondered: if someone uses a piece of Prince's music, for example, to criticise the musician, would Prince be paid for such a use?
"There would be a question about whether that would be appropriate," von Lohmann said.
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It's always about money in the end.