Using YouTube Takedowns As Extortion

DooKey

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Here's an interesting piece over at techdirt that explains how liability for copyrighted material on media platforms can be abused to get rid of content that's not really copyrighted. To hear the RIAA/MPAAs of the world, we need to weaken protections for platforms to help artists. Yet, here is a clear example where it's enabling real harm for an actual artist. It's time to stop the petty little tyrants out there that are responsible for removing perfectly legitimate content.

Seeing all of this so blatantly put forth suggests that this kind of thing is a lot more common than we realize -- but that's almost to be expected when we give anyone the power to takedown videos by claiming copyright infringement -- and setting things up so that the hosting platforms will face massive liability for failing to comply (and comply quickly, with little investigation).
 
From what I've heard, cuphead gameplay videos on youtube were temporarily taken down because some Chinese company claimed copyright on them, but this was quickly reversed several hours later.

Youtube is really bad at handling this stuff.
 
It's an abuse of power I predicted all the way back in 1999, when the DMCA was being debated. Record labels use such notices to shut down competition. It's not an accident. It's not a mistake. It's an intentional business tactic.

The mistake was passing the DMCA in the first place.
 
From what I've heard, cuphead gameplay videos on youtube were temporarily taken down because some Chinese company claimed copyright on them, but this was quickly reversed several hours later.

Youtube is really bad at handling this stuff.

That is exactly what Youtube HAS to do. They're required by the DMCA to take down content in dispute, whether or not the dispute is in question. They can only restore it once the dispute has been determined.

If I had an entertainment lawyer and a willing judge, I could send takedown notices for all of VEVO's content on Youtube, and they would have no choice but to comply. Then VEVO's lawyers would have to go to court to clear them before the content could be restored. The problem is that only certain people and companies have access to high priced entertainment lawyers and willing judges for such things.
 
The hate for the RIAA/MPAA runs deep, they are no good for the artists and no good for the consumers. Seriously, the only leeches on society below them are Patent Trolls

At this point I support, and encourage, anyone who pirates stuff under the control of the RIAA/MPAA as that deprives them of funds they continue to use to assert their BS claims.
 
It's not only musical artists with this problem. It's running rampant all over YouTube because their system frankly blows. Dave Jones at EEVBlog has a video posted on what happened to him. And all tied to a ridiculous piece of legislation that never should have seen the light of day, the absolutely useless DMCA. Dear Congress and President Trump - you want to MAGA, repeal the DMCA and fix the patent office and make copyright law reasonable again. Stop extending it over and over to protect Disney.
 
It's amazing that the disaster of a law named DMCA has not been overturned yet.

It is nothing but abuse of the legal system by a powerful lobbying group.
 
It's amazing that the disaster of a law named DMCA has not been overturned yet.

It is nothing but abuse of the legal system by a powerful lobbying group.
Oh come on. You mean to say the department of Homeland security isn't supposed to be detaining people for wearing Google Glass in a movie theater?
 
The real tragic is that Google and Youtube don't really fucking care if fake DMCA claims happen. They still make money, and you can't call them to hold them accountable. While Youtube is really good as a user experience, it's really a monopoly. And they've said they're going to fix it... but I don't know when... it's been years now.
 
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