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Universal Sends DMCA Takedown On 1980 Report

An anonymous reader writes "For many, many years, every time some new technology has come along, the music industry has insisted that it's going to "kill" the industry. The player piano was supposed to kill live music. So was the radio. And, of course, every time this happens the press is willing to take the industry's word at face value. In 1980, the news program 20/20 posted a report all about how "home taping is killing music," with various recording industry execs insisting the industry was on its last legs unless something was done. Someone posted that 20/20 episode to YouTube a few years back, where it sat in obscurity until people noticed it a couple weeks ago. And suddenly, Universal Music issued a takedown notice for the show. Universal Music does not own 20/20, and there were only brief clips of music in the show. It appears the only reason for Universal to issue the takedown is that it doesn't want you seeing how badly it overreacted in the past."

14 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. ++good by retech · · Score: 3, Funny

    double plus good say I.

    1. Re:++good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wouldn't that be good+1? Like a counter...

      no, ++good increments the value of good, _before_ you miss the joke

  2. Re:Or maybe by ubergeek65536 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The script for the cease-and-desist letter is part of the submit button

  3. Re:People send takedown notices almost randomly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    And on porn sites you get ads about cock-sucking when viewing cock-sucking videos.

  4. In other news... by Infonaut · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... the Carriers Of Milk In Cities (COMIC) today lashed out at refrigerator manufacturers and cardboard container manufacturers for "killing the milk industry".

    Ferb Nordquist, the head of COMIC said in a statement that was hand carried to every major news outlet, "We, the milk carriers, bring milk to the masses. Without us, there would be no milk. The refrigerator and cardboard manufacturers are putting a stake in the heart of the milk industry. This is really the beginning of the end for milk."

    No cows were available for comment.

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  5. Re:In other news... by clampolo · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's only funny until it happens to you

  6. Re:People send takedown notices almost randomly by Trepidity · · Score: 3, Funny

    This sounds quite interesting. Is there a way I can randomly claim ownership of YouTube videos, and derive revenues from their viewers? Or do you have to be someone special to get in on that?

  7. Re:Has anything really changed? by Wocka_Wocka · · Score: 1, Funny

    Have you seen an episode of MTV cribs lately where they have musicians on there?

    To be quite honest, I haven't seen any musicians on that show.

  8. Time to poorly execute a meta-joke. by icannotthinkofaname · · Score: 4, Funny

    the Streisand effect

    Well, that's just great. If you hadn't said anything, this phenomenon could have remained in relative obscurity. However, because you brought it up, now everyone's gonna know about the Streisand effect. Way to go.

    --
    Let q be a radix > 1. I am in ur base-q, killing 10 d00ds.
    1. Re:Time to poorly execute a meta-joke. by enderjsv · · Score: 4, Funny

      You're right! My mistake. Let's try to suppress it. That should work.

  9. Re:In other news... by shermo · · Score: 2, Funny

    This would make more sense if you put the missing N back on the end of your username.

    --
    Insanity: voting in the same two parties over and over again and expecting different results
  10. The REAL reason for the takedown... by Dahamma · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...was to cover up the HORRIBLE taste in clothing of all of the record execs in 1980. Just wow.

  11. Re:Or maybe by davester666 · · Score: 2, Funny

    They had to do this, as it was totally killing DVD sales of the report.

    --
    Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  12. Re:hmm by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 2, Funny

    The little musicians in my radio suck lately. They have lost all talent and play the same crap over and over and over...

    I suggest this 3 part plan: 1. Buy a new radio.
    2. Drop old radio into a lake or river while the new radio watches.
    3. Explain to the new radio that if it's musicians lose all talent and play the same crap over and over the same thing will happen to it.

    --
    If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?