According to various reports from YouTube users, Nintendo is filing content ID claims against user-created "Let's Play" videos, which thereby prevents the user from monetizing their videos with adverts — allowing Nintendo to pocket all of the revenue.

Most videos won't experience this, as Nintendo has said that only clips featuring longer "Nintendo-owned content" will see an advert placed at the beginning, middle or end of the video.

Nintendo has issued a statement after a number of complaints were made on the topic:

As part of our on-going push to ensure Nintendo content is shared across social media channels in an appropriate and safe way, we became a YouTube partner and as such in February 2013 we registered our copyright content in the YouTube database. For most fan videos this will not result in any changes, however, for those videos featuring Nintendo-owned content, such as images or audio of a certain length, adverts will now appear at the beginning, next to or at the end of the clips. We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on YouTube, and that is why, unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property.

Nintendo has a right to copyright its own material, as is clearly stated in Youtube's Copyright FAQ. But what will be the consequences for those who create these videos and earn their keep from them? Nintendo wants them to continue sharing its products on YouTube, just not profiting from them — but with many doing this kind of thing full-time and putting a lot of energy into their productions, it could result in a drop in "Let's Play" clips — and that is surely only going to mean a dip in interest when it comes to Nintendo content on YouTube.

We'd like to hear your thoughts on the subject. Are you one of the people impacted by this? Have you had a content ID claim made against you? Drop a comment to tell us.