Scientology fires 4,000 take-downs at YouTube
p2pnet news view Freedom | P2P:- The Cult of Scientology has apparently used American Rights Counsel LLC to send more than 4,000 DMCA takedown notices to YouTube, “all making copyright infringement claims” against videos with content critical of theso-called church.
We say “apparently” because, “Whether or not American Rights Counsel, LLC represents the notoriously litigious Church of Scientology is unclear,” continues the EFF’s , who posted the news.
The shadowy law firm also targeted Canadian features.
‘… they do not appear to exist outside of these claims …’
“I have noticed something regarding several videos that have been taken down from YouTube (including two of my own) ,” posts Hellrider Revolution on the YouTube help forums, going on »»»
CTV videos showing Anonymous protests of Scientology, are being taken down as due to a copyright infringement claim by the “American Rights Counsel LLC”. I attempted a search of this company in order to ascertain their rights to the videos, but sadly, they do not appear to exist outside of these claims on YouTube, and I cannot find reference to them anywhere else as an actual, existing entity.
Therefore, I would like to pose the question to YouTube users; who are the American Rights Counsel LLC? Why are they claiming copyright on videos from Canadian news stations?
I would also ask that YouTube itself look into this manner, as all of the videos taken down appear to show, as I have stated earlier, coverage of the protests of Scientology. None of the videos taken down are due to a copyright claim from CTV, but by this American Rights Counsel. I would ask that YouTube investigate this manner for possible fraudulent copyright claims.
The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) says clips included footage of Australian and German news reports about Scientology, A Message to Anonymous/Scientology , and footage from a Clearwater City Commission meeting.
“Many accounts were suspended by YouTube in response to multiple allegations of copyright infringement,” it says, continuing some YouTube users responded with DMCA counter-notices.
This wouldn’t be the first time the cult has used the DMCA to silence Scientology critics, says Galperin, adding:
“The Church of Scientology DMCA complaints shut down the YouTube channel of critic Mark Bunker in June, 2008.
Bunker’s account, XenuTV, was also among the channels shut down in this latest flurry of takedown notices.”
Stay tuned and, Where are you, Anonymous?
EFF – Massive Takedown of Anti-Scientology Videos on YouTube, September 5, 2008
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September 9th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
hail Cruise er hitler, er, hubbard.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Isn’t this sort of thing what got Anonymous so angry in the first place? Way to go, scientologists. This Saturday’s protests should be a lot of fun.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Oh, and I didn’t write the following, just copypasta’d it from enturb, but agree with oanon’s sentiment here:
“Where are you, Anonymous?” Getting the freaking videos back up within twenty-four hours…”
September 10th, 2008 at 9:32 am
They have since been re-posted
September 10th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
We should Alienate the Scientologests lol =\
September 10th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Scientology’s on trial [again] for fraud in France – with France’s ‘bite me once, shame on you, bite me twice shame on me’ law, its days could be numbered there. Can anyone explain why this organization received US tax exemption in 1993, after fighting it for like 40 years?
September 13th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Yeh, agree with “Concerned Citizen”, right on man, but don’t forget that other nut, John Travolta!