Unreal: YouTube takes down 'We con the world'
I suppose this was inevitable. YouTube has taken down the LATMA video 'We con the world' on the basis of a 'copyright violation' (Hat Tip: Memeorandum) The copyright violation claim is wrong as a matter of law (the use that was made of the video falls under something called the 'fair use doctrine,' which Caroline Glick cites in the post linked above). Yes, this is political as usual. And as Caroline points out, it's not the first time YouTube has done something like this.At the same time, this is not YouTube's first move to silence Israeli voices. During Operation Cast Lead, the IDF Spokesman's Unit established a YouTube channel and began posting combat footage on its channel to bypass the anti-Israel media and go directly to news consumers.Over at Hot Air, good guy Ed Morrissey has uploaded it to his Eyeblast account. I'm embedding that upload below and also in the other two places where I embedded the YouTube original in this blog. And I'm downloading it to my computer so I have it for the future.
Shortly after the IDF channel began making waves, YouTube - which is owned by Google - removed IDF videos from the website. After the move evoked a storm of protest, YouTube restored them but flagged the videos in the same manner it flags pornography. People trying to access the videos received a screen saying, "This video or group may contain content that is inappropriate for some users, as flagged by YouTube's user community. To view this video or group please verify that you are 18 or older by singing in and signing up."
Here's a link to the write-up of the YouTube move.
If YouTube didn't already have a track record for censoring pro-Israel material, I would say that despite the obviously frivolous and unsubstantiated nature of the copyright claim against We Con the World, the company was simply erring on the side of caution.
The fact that more than 3 million people have already seen the video and that it has been written up in major newspapers and featured on major television networks around the world since we first posted it last Thursday night however causes me to fear that something else is going on here.
Despite these obstacles, we at Latma have no intention of crying Uncle. By tomorrow, we will repost our song on blogs throughout the world. If you already downloaded the song, please post it on your website. If not, I will post a non-youtube version on my site tomorrow with instructions from my webmaster about how to download it.
Moreover, stay tuned for our next video next Thursday night.
Let's go to the videotape.
Keep spreading it!
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:03 PM
2 Comments:
to borrow a line from one of my fav movies....what we have here, is a failure to communicate.
this has nothing to do with youtube being anti israel, and everything to do with google/youtube trying not to get sued.
the internet is a strange place.
your server may be in one country, but unless you block content to a different country, you come under that country's laws.
the regulations concerning fair use are much different in europe, and apparently dont cover parodies.
i have seen tons of parody vids and pages going down, when a multinational entertainment company has decided to charge them with copyright infringement.
problem is...youtube never gives reasons for removing the vid...just that there has been a challenge.
now, if you are some kid in podunk iowa, who has posted a cover song, or a parody vid and you have gotten a few hits, chances are, your vid will be left untouched.
however, if you get a few million hits...they are going after you...and why? because of youtube's new partner program, where you can make money if you imbed a commercial...its as simple as that.
never mind that the dinosaur media is just hurting themselves....10 years after napster...they still dont get it.
After 3 million people watched "We Con the World" on YouTube, Google (YouTube's owner) saw fit to remove that video. However, you can still see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voEiDEAvYj0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Yd3aOj55E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrMGINCXiw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSveUsUIhoI (Turkish)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r74Ol73oX2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP65L4kNIz0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yrzqQfXj8g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTKPLXQNzVM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PtThkGWUSc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtIGZjF_Fz4
And lots more.
Latma's comment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_is0WRHrAD4
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