YouTube stars H3H3 win 'landmark' court case against Matt Hoss

  • Published
Hila and Ethan KleinImage source, H3H3

Husband and wife YouTube stars Ethan and Hila Klein (H3H3) have won a legal case which could affect all YouTubers.

They were being sued by another YouTuber, Matt Hoss, for a video they made which criticised one of his.

Matt said they had infringed on his copyright by using clips of his video in one they uploaded to their channel.

H3H3's win could affect other YouTubers making videos who want to use parts of existing videos in their uploads.

In the video that sparked the legal case, the California-based YouTubers critiqued Matt for the writing and acting in his video, comparing it to that seen in a porn film.

They also criticised how he portrayed women in his videos.

Image source, Matt Hoss / YouTube
Image caption,
H3H3 criticised Matt Hoss for how women were portrayed in his self-scripted, fitness-themed YouTube dramas

"The Court is not ruling here that all 'reaction videos' constitute fair use," said Judge Katherine B Forrest in her ruling.

But it is the first of its kind among the YouTube community and H3H3 believe it could change things for people posting videos on YouTube.

"This is a landmark case, not just for us, but the wording the judge put in is going to strengthen fair use across YouTube," says Ethan Klein in a video posted celebrating their win.

It all relates to "Fair Use", a US law which allows people to use others' work for criticism, parody and news reporting.

Here is the H3H3 video that caused all the drama.

Since announcing their win on Twitter, H3H3 have been congratulated by other major YouTube stars including PewDiePie, Markiplier and the man who invented Minecraft.

The Fine Brothers shared their support with their one million Twitter followers.

Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat