Google Deal Allegedly Lets UMG Wipe YouTube Videos It Doesn't Own

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Google Deal Allegedly Lets UMG Wipe YouTube Videos It Doesn't Own

Posted by Soulskill on Friday December 16, 2011 @04:59AM from the sounds-about-right dept.

Sockatume writes "Ars Technica is reporting that Google has given music conglomerate UMG the right to arbitrarily eliminate YouTube videos. When UMG had Megaupload's 'Mega Song' removed from the site, it was assumed that they had made a DMCA claim, and that YouTube was responding under its 'safe harbor' obligations. Megaupload's legal response argues that UMG has no grounds to request a DMCA takedown. However in court filings (PDF), UMG claims that its licensing agreement with Google gives it the power and authority to unilaterally wipe videos from the site, bypassing the DMCA entirely. If true, that means that your activities on YouTube are not just curtailed by the law, but by the terms of their secret agreements with media conglomerates."

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And so it begins... by SJHillman · 2011-12-16 05:01 · Score: 5, Funny

This is the start of UMG's war against cats doing funny things
1. Re:And so it begins... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-16 05:06 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I don't think they are quite that stupid. Cat videos are the primary purpose of youtube (from the viewer perspective) and a loss of cat videos would have serious backlash to all parties involved.
  If people are forced to torrent for cat videos, they will quickly learn how to get anything else that way.
2. Re:And so it begins... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-16 05:31 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  People would quickly realize that using a torrent for "cat" videos might pull up an entirely different kind of "cat."
3. Re:And so it begins... by tgd · 2011-12-16 05:38 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  This is the start of UMG's war against cats doing funny things
  If they can stop mine before, say, 6am, I might change my mind on this whole thing ...
This is preposterous by Laxori666 · 2011-12-16 05:07 · Score: 5, Funny
Re:Again and again by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-16 05:10 · Score: 5, Funny

We outsource evil is more catchy.
Best Part of TFA by TheSpoom · 2011-12-16 05:24 · Score: 5, Funny

But more importantly, Universal argues that its takedown is not governed by the DMCA in the first place. In a statement supporting Megaupload's complaint, CIO Kim Dotcom had stated "it is my understanding" that Universal had invoked the DMCA's notice-and-takedown provisions.
That is the best name for a CIO ever.

--
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
Re:And you think the DMCA and SOPA are bad. by LordLimecat · 2011-12-16 05:40 · Score: 4, Funny

When the actions of the service owner directly contradict the very NAME of the service in question,

So they changed it from a series of tubes to a dump truck?
UMG Judge Dredd by Quila · 2011-12-16 05:51 · Score: 1, Funny

"I am the law!"
I like to SMASH things! by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-16 06:17 · Score: 5, Funny

one of those asshole dump trucks that drives around dropping 2" pieces of rock out the back and has a sign affixed to it proclaiming "Not Responsible For Broken Windshields".
I love those asshole dump trucks!
Every time I see one, I throw a rock through their windshield.
Re:And you think the DMCA and SOPA are bad. by MikeMo · 2011-12-16 06:56 · Score: 5, Funny

Actually, there *is* a universal definition, whether we agree with it or not. We just don't know what that definition is.