Reddit opens up on copyright complaints

Reddit will now provide users with more information when it takes down content because of a copyright complaint.

In the past, the company would simply remove the page where the content had been shared and replace it with a note saying that Reddit had removed the content. That caused all the comments associated with the post to be deleted as well.

{mosads}But the company said on Wednesday that it would start to provide more information about the reasons it takes down content. Deleted content will be replaced by a notice stating that Reddit removed the content and a link to an explanation of the takedown notice.

“We hope these changes will provide more value to the community and provide as little interruption as possible when we receive these requests,” the company said in a blog post. “We are committed to being as transparent as possible and empowering our users with more information.”

The move also allows the site to preserve content, like comments, that is not subject to a copyright takedown notice.

The company says in 2014 it received 218 requests to take down content.

Tech companies have generally been reticent about legislation that would change the system where rights holders, like music companies or movie studios, send individual takedown notices when they believe their copyrights are being infringed upon.

But changing the system is a priority for advocacy groups that represent industries concerned with copyright issues.