
‘Free Download Manager’ Pulls YouTube SupportįDM is a multi-purpose download tool that has been around since 2004. However, there’s plenty going on behind the scenes, as a recent issue at “ Free Download Manager” (FDM) shows. Most of the enforcement activity of YouTube and its parent Google takes place outside of the limelight. While YouTube itself hasn’t taken any legal action, the company shut down a YouTube ripper through a WIPO domain name dispute a few months ago. The company prohibits third-party services from downloading YouTube content and is actively blocking the IP addresses of known offenders.

In addition, rightsholders are actively trying to remove these sites from Google’s search results.

YouTube-MP3 was shut down after a legal battle and 2Conv and FLVto may suffer the same fate. Over the past several years, major music labels have taken legal action against several stream-ripping services. While this sounds great, YouTube also presents an indirect threat, as third-party tools allow people to rip and download music to enjoy outside of the streaming service. Through YouTube, the music industry generated billions of dollars in advertising revenue. The service opens the door to a wealth of information and entertainment, including the latest and greatest music which can be streamed for free. With over a billion users YouTube is the largest video portal on the Internet.
