The Museum of Classic Chicago Television has a YouTube channel with many fascinating vintage TV ads, but it's in danger of being eliminated by Markscan, a copyright-strike mill acting on behalf of Sony, the inventor of Betamax tapes. Torrentfreak's Andy Maxwell reports on an automated takedown machine perfectly designed to exploit the ramshackle private copyright enforcement system that YouTube built.
Why most rightsholders have left MCCTv alone is hard to say; perhaps some see the historical value of the channel, maybe others don't know it exists. At least in part, Klein believes the low quality of the videos could be significant.
"These were relatively low picture quality broadcast examples from various channels from various years at least 30-40 years ago, with the original commercial breaks intact. Also mixed in with these were examples of '16mm network prints' which are surviving original film prints that were sent out to TV stations back in the day from when the show originally aired. In many cases they include original sponsorship notices, original network commercials, 'In Color' notices, etc.," he explains.
These oddities, none of which would ever find their way into a commercial product, are historically significant; where else can viewers soak up the past while relieving soaking their face with the Clairol Skin Machine?
Markscan's such a heap of junk it targeted Sony for infringing Sony's copyrights. The lowest bidder, paid by the takedown.
Finding better baskets for the eggs is easier said than done, but YouTube is so dangerous now that if you have the opportunity to get out, do it. It is a terrible place to put an archive!
Now, about that Clairol Skin Machine…
