EFF Hall of Shame
p2pnet news view Freedom | P2P:- Some of the web’s most interesting content has been unilaterally yanked with bogus copyright claims and other spurious legal threats.
Ain’t that the truth!
So today the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is launching its Takedown Hall of Shame.
The idea is to call attention to particularly bogus takedowns and showcase the amazing online videos and other creative works that someone doesn’t want you to see,” says the EFF’s Corynne McSherry.
Many of the bogus takedowns come from misuse of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Under it, claimants can demand material be removed immediately without providing any proof of infringement.
“Service providers, fearful of monetary damages and legal hassles, often comply with these requests without double-checking them, despite the cost to free speech and individual rights,” says the EFF.
The Takedown Hall of Shame 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 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,” the EFF promises.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
EFF – ‘Hall of Shame’ Calls Out Bogus Internet Censorship, October 27, 2009
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October 27th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
That is exactly what I would do. A ways back on another blog I suggested to the author that he deal with the comment trolls by making a comments hall of shame.
October 27th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
The biggest problem is that the DMCA lacks any penalty whatsoever for people who issue bogus takedowns, while slapping enormous penalties on a host who mistakenly believes that the takedown request is bogus.
As a result, the DMCA has become the weapon of choice to cloak embarrassing incidents, eliminate competition, and silence criticism.
EFF should list Uri Geller at the top spot, for claiming copyright of a TV show that he only appeared in as a guest. Youtube was forced to take down video clips that caught him red-handed using a common magician’s prop during a performance that he claimed to be demonstrating supernatural powers, and those original Youtube videos never returned. Geller also has a long history of suing people who doubt his claims of supernatural powers.