Media companies worried over the unauthorized digital sharing of their content are embracing content-recognition software, which has progressed to a point that it can identify vide clips even if their quality is low, reports the New York Times.

One application, produced by Audible Magic, can filter out content based on a database of existing footage. Using digital fingerprinting, the software can identify copyrighted material as soon as it's uploaded and would prevent it from going live on a site.

Media companies have complained that although some social networks and video sites have embraced the filters, others (including YouTube) have resisted. That's part of the complaint Viacom had with YouTube that led it to demand all its clips be removed from the site.Even with the new innovations, however, the technology is far from perfect.

Cropping the video, for example, can fool the filters, and the amount of data being uploaded on a regular basis might be too much for the filters to handle. Content creators and owners also might encounter problems because of the patchwork of filtering solutions across social networks.

There's also the fear that, once corporate control has been exercised, users will abandon a site for one that doesn't have so many rules.