Interesting article about DMCA takedown notices and fighting back
Hi guys, while dealing with the various issues around WebSheriff etc., I came across this pretty interesting article from last weekend’s Washington Post… check it out! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/18/AR2007101802453.html
Here’s a small excerpt–but there is much more in the full article:
But recently — in part because of backlash among users and advocacy groups who say copyright holders are abusing the law and wrongfully taking down content — the challenges to these copyright claims also appear to be increasing.
“These companies are trying to shoot a mouse with an elephant gun,” said Gigi Sohn, director of Public Knowledge, a public-policy think tank that focuses on intellectual property. “They like to accuse their customers, the music fans and TV fans out there, of not respecting the law, but I don’t think they respect the law.”
We feel the same way, especially with the sloppiness of WebSheriff’s slapdash and ridiculously broad DMCA request. I hadn’t thought of actually suing them over it, but now that I see some folks are going for it, it’s something to consider. Interesting stuff!
Tags: DMCA, legal, websheriff
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Nice to see people refusing to be bullied.
I about choked reading about the “Electric Slide” choreographer…but I guess if you “invented it” you’d be proud of it.
Hopefully, something good will come of this. Oh wait, videos w/ the Electric Slide in them were taken down…that’s a good start.
I keed…
Hopefully, something REALLY good will come of all this.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Well, we all remember our childhoods, don’t we?
Childhood 101 - The only way to beat a bully is to stand up to him!
November 6th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Curious action by Prince - Im all for copyright protection but, to the best of my knowledge, the Org is very strict on thos ethings (except perhaps the photos).
The current action is nothing more than a petty move by somebody who was once deeply respected but is fast becoming a diva for no reason.
So whats his grip - he doesnt like the negative fan reviews? Well all I can say to that is the fans are teh biggets mirro you are ever going to look into…if tehy say what you ar edoing is no good then its no good (no 2 ways about it - THEY do make the distinction between good and bad), if you dont like bad reviews put more effort in and finally - if you want unofficial (but HIGHLY successful) sites to stop in favour of your own site then simply pull your finger out - give soemthing back and not just pop your head up when you want some money
November 9th, 2007 at 3:12 am
b-side’s got my support! check what eff.org’s doing…
from http://prince.org/msg/7/244479?&pg=19#msg_5030822 (09/19/07)
Remember when we first heard this? Most of us blamed Universal. Now we know who to blame, eh? Has Prince gone too far??
From: http://www.eff.org/legal/…universal/
Stephanie Lenz’s 29-second recording shows her son bouncing along to the Prince song “Let’s Go Crazy,” which is heard playing in the background. Lenz uploaded the home video to YouTube in February to share it with her family and friends.
But last month, YouTube informed Lenz that it had removed the video from its website after Universal claimed that the recording infringed a copyright controlled by the music company. Under federal copyright law, a mere allegation of copyright infringement can result in the removal of content from the Internet.
“Copyright holders [e.g. Prince] should be held accountable when they undermine non-infringing, fair uses like this [YouTube] video.”
Last May, UMPG’s parent company, Universal Music Group, sent a baseless copyright takedown demand to YouTube for a video podcast by political blogger Michelle Malkin. That video was quickly reposted after Malkin fought back.
“Copyright abuse can shut down online artists [some artists WANT their music/videos on YouTube — leave ‘em alone!], political analysts, or — as in this case — ordinary families who simply want to share snippets of their day-to-day lives,” said EFF Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. “Universal [and Prince] must stop making groundless infringement claims that trample on fair use and free speech.”
December 8th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
don’t let the bully win!
February 15th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Has anyone heard anything more about this case?