YouTube Muting, Removing Videos Involving Warner Music

notseamus writes "In the past few days, YouTube has started muting videos uploaded by users that use 'unauthorized copyrighted music' in response to Warner Music's threat over royalties, and so far appears to target only Warner Music related videos. Ars Technica also reports that after three DMCA notices YouTube will remove a user account, even when it appears to be fair use. Kevin Lee has had video essays — which he believes are fair use — removed from YouTube, and his account disabled before he could file a counter notice."

Comments

Their site, their right.

[numbski]

Sadly, it's fair use for you to use it, but you have no "right" to post it to their site. Once you created an account there, you pretty much waived any of your content rights there. C'est la vie.

Re:Their site, their right.

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not how the law works or the DMCA. If you ignore the DMCA then you no longer gain the "safe harbour" privilege which means you can be sued for every copyright infringement case on your website no matter who uploaded what.

By removing the videos first Google is in accordance with the DMCA and doesn't get legally nuked into the ground.

Re:Their site, their right.

[nganju]

Totally agree with you. Especially because as soon as you upload anything to the internet you've pretty much waived any of your content rights you had.

Now when I say that I don't mean it in the legal sense but in the realistic practical sense. Anything digital is pirated and shared.

We even have karma whores that copy & paste other peoples insightful comments.

Beyond brilliant

[Just Some Guy]

I am speechless at the business acumen behind killing your number one free advertising site, the one that had no negative affect whatsoever on your sales because the sound quality was way too low to "pirate". Newsflash to Warner: I've bought music I'd never normally get simply because it was stuck in my head and that was the only way to get rid of it. By lowering your exposure, I can absolutely guarantee you're going to lose sales. Genius.

Re:Beyond brilliant

[Xelios]

Here's the typical scenario, this happens to me all the time.

Someone: "So what's your favorite band?"
Me: "Right now it's [band 1]"
Someone: "I like them too, have you ever heard of [band 2]? They have a similar sound, here check out this video of one of their songs."
Me: "Wow, they're pretty good. Have you heard of [band 3]? Here's a link."
Someone: "Thanks, I'll check them out."

And viola, bands 2 and 3 have new fans.

Incidentally, [band 2] and [band 3] are really great, you guys should check them out on YouTube.

Re:Beyond brilliant

[1u3hr]

And viola, bands 2 and 3 have new fans.

Yeah, how else would you hear new viola music?

Re:Whatever happened to

[LingNoi]

It's not evil to delete people's videos off their own website because said person tried to bend the rules they agreed to when signing up.

Re:even when...

[AmigaHeretic]

>>That's about half the videos on Youtube.

Nah, I checked the Warner Music website and Rick Astley isn't signed with them. Which is too bad really.

Hey, but Cher is! I'm going to go start making annoying Cher videos!! Oh wait, I guess I could just watch her normal videos...

Old People

[mfh]

The problem with business is old people and I don't mean aged people just people with OLD IDEAS, like the captive audience. It's bullshit and it's gone. We are able to do anything with our constantly deteriorating free time, so why would we give YOU money when YOU treat us like we are criminals and not customers?

We'll go somewhere else, do something NEW and leave you in the DUST.

Re:Old People

[LingNoi]

I know this is slightly off topic because it's about movies not music however I have to agree with this.

Before the MPAA changed their website their about page was all about fond memories of going to the cinema as a kid to watch the black & white movies and about how movies should be enjoyed with a audience.

Those days are over. This generation wants content when it suits them and doesn't want to go to a filthy room with over priced junk food. They want to watch the movies in their own home around their own schedule, where people aren't going to be talking in the movie or making noises munching on popcorn.

I did a quick check and saw this..
http://www.mpaa.org/AboutUsGlickman.asp

It's about the current CEO of the MPAA. Lots of talk about how he has helped feed the worlds poor and how he is a political scientist. What about you know.. the damn movies?! The very core of the association's being and not one mention of why he loves movies or any experience he has in the area.

In fact all the MPAA is (judging from the website) about copyright protection. This is a shame and they should really move on and consider why there is so much copyright infringement and how their association can provide the media for the generate of today, not the old fart generation of yesteryear.

This most likely won't happen because from my point of view everyone at the MPAA has been replaced with lawyers and political scientists who are completely out of touch with the audiences of today. They can't even comprehend the fact that they need to change.

The DMCA is being heavily abused

[Anonymous Coward]

Tons of DMCA requests are being submitted by scientology to take critical information off of the internet.

It's a cheap quick easy way to take down information from unattended accounts.

http://forums.whyweprotest.net/186-youtube-2008-edition/

It's also an easy way for them to get the name & address of people who are critical of scientology.

Nothing prevents them from using a fake name & address to submit false DMCA requests.

Who here as the money to go head to head against scientology? Especially since their stated aim is not to win, but to harass.

Warner is taking down game videos, too

[MooglyGuy]

This issue actually hit me on YouTube. I decided to post some videos of me 5-starring various songs on Guitar Hero: World Tour, since I worked on the game and happened to enjoy it. A few weeks later, Warner Music submitted a takedown notice on the video I made of me beating Hotel California, stating that it was a recording of a song by the Eagles. I subsequently submitted a counter-claim stating that it is not a recording of a song by the Eagles, but is in fact a recording of Guitar Hero: World Tour, which has no EULA barring the "public performance" of the game. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to see how it turned out, as when I discussed it with my employer, it was suggested that I just acquiesce to the company's demands so that they don't get upset with Activision. Frankly, rather than capitulating to unreasonable demands like that, I think the company should make the terms of licensing music for use in the game more clear so that crap like this doesn't happen, but there you go.

Re:Whatever happened to

[gilgongo]

It's not evil to delete people's videos off their own website because said person tried to bend the rules they agreed to when signing up.

No, but it's evil assist those who would seek to destroy our culture. This is the battleground: between greed and the preservation of our way of life.

I'm not kidding, and a shitload of people agree with me