EFF launches Hall of Shame for copyright abusers

Hugh from the Electronic Frontier Foundation sez, "Today, EFF is launching our new 'Takedown Hall of Shame' project, which collects the worst and most shameful examples of bogus DMCA takedowns. We've got everything from the recent Ralph Lauren takedown to Michael Savage's attempts to silence critics to a video NPR tried to remove just last week!"

"Free speech in the 21st century often depends on incorporating video clips and other content from various sources," explained EFF Senior Staff Attorney and Kahle Promise Fellow Corynne McSherry. "It's what The Daily Show with Jon Stewart does every night. This is 'fair use' of copyrighted or trademarked material and protected under U.S. law. But that hasn't stopped thin-skinned corporations and others from abusing the legal system to get these new works removed from the Internet. We wanted to document this censorship for all to see."

EFF's Takedown Hall of Shame at www.eff.org/takedowns focuses on the most egregious examples of takedown abuse, including an example of a YouTube video National Public Radio tried to remove just this week that criticizes same-sex marriage. Other Hall of Shame honorees include NBC for requesting removal of an Obama campaign video and CBS for targeting a McCain campaign video in the critical months before the 2008 election. The Hall of Shame will be updated regularly, as bad takedowns continue to squash free speech rights of artists, critics, and commentators big and small.

Takedown Hall of Shame

'Hall of Shame' Calls Out Bogus Internet Censorship (Thanks, Hugh!)

• [Anonymous]

  I wonder if they accept copyright abuse stories from other countries. For example, Russian Authors Society (organisation which claims to defend authors’ rights) sued organizer of Deep Purple concert for performing Deep Purple songs by Deep Purple without paying RAS so RAS can pay Deep Purple while keeping their brokerage fee. And won. And won the appeal too.
  They also sued organizer of Elton John’s concert for the same. They also sued parodists for their parodies, football league for using Blanter’s “Football March”, buses for playing radio, and so on. They want hotels to pay them 2 roubles for every square meter of halls, foyers and lifts where background music is played, and 0.1% of sale proceeds.
  They also had La Adelita song deleted from Youtube… because some Soviet composer wrote a song inspired by La Adelita.
  Russian Organisation for Intellectual Property sued the registry office for *illegal* use of the recording of Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” – the office, you see, was violating rights of performers. Besides buying the recording, the registry office, ROIP thinks, must pay ROIP the fee for performers of that recording every time it is played.

  And of course, no one guarantees that those money will ever be given to authors and performers, even these societies claim that they *will be trying* to find authors&performers… for a certain period of time, after that they can *legally* keep all the money for themselves.

• [Jonathan]

  Awesome. Shame works — especially on those who think they can hide behind the corporate veil. I would like to see them add photos and names of the executives heading the corporations behind the takedowns, and the lawyers who filed the complaints (with full knowledge of their frivolity). That way, everyone will know exactly who the bullies are.

• [bjacques]

  That’s a great site. I nominated an ongoing case of an artist (allegedly) being ripped off by an imitator and sued by the imitator, apparently with the aim of bankrupting him (Scientology-style). Full story here:

  http://www.johntunger.com/legal-defense-fund.html (via http://www.warrrenellis.com)

• [Enochrewt]

  Good Read. Though the jaw-drop value of each instance was dampened because I’ve been reading about these things on BB for years.

  But hey, BB even got a mention in the Ralph Lauren one.

• [Anonymous]

  Boy have we got a contender here in Washington State: Susan Hutchison, a stealth triple R candidate (Religous Right Republican). TVW, a public/private partnership has footage of Hutchison, cheering on free market fundamentalists, exhorting politicians to use public office for religious witnessing, and directly contradicting statements made during her campaign. But the footage comes down as fast as it goes up. The horsesass.org (our leading liberal blog) just got stuff pulled from Youtube, as did her opponent’s campaign. They even pulled a clip that kids had used to make a parody of her fighting with Richard Dawkins. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/24/796664/-Kids-CENSORED-by-Religous-RightUpdated