Megaupload Suing Universal Over Pulled YouTube Video

[Something Amyss]

Ah, Universal you do so love throwing your weight around don't you?

I wonder how long until every single video on Youtube is pulled for some stupid reason or another, not long I expect, they're kinda on a kick lately.

Zachary Amaranth, your cover of "Detroit or Buffalo" by Barbara Keith violates Universal Music Group's rights due to a walk-on appearance by Ke$ha.

But there's nobody else in the video and Ke$ha is a Sony artist (via RCA)!

I fail to see how either of those points are relevant.

 

[DiMono]

The record companies and the RIAA have been swinging their big stick around way too carelessly. It's about time someone swung one back at them.

 

[NightHawk21]

This is amazing. I hope Universal gets taken down a notch.

 

[Draconalis]

I only know who Kanye West because of the South Park episode with "Do you like Fish Sticks?"

I don't watch TV, for the most part... but I have actually seen that episode.

I didn't realize it was West they were making fun of...

 

[Baresark]

I hope they get lots of damages from Universal.

Megaupload does often have pirated material, it's true. But, then again, it has ridiculous amounts of non-pirated material.

Also, they will simply provide the courts with the documents and that will be that. Not much of a story or much of a case. I can't stand how piracy was an excuse for this. Get over that shit.

 

[Subject7]

HAHAHahahaha!

 

[goodman528]

How about a campaign to make this song the christmas number one?

 

[EHKOS]

Megaupload is a huge piracy site. I'm not surprised the company that has digital copies of it's movies floating about on MU's servers are nervous. It's hilarious in it's irony, that MU used them while their own work is hosted on it's servers. I'm going to have to side with Universal on this one.

EDIT: Besides, Universal has always done shit like this. Remember when they tried to sue Nintendo because Donkey Kong was a rip off of King Kong, even though the movie was in public domain?

 

[ckam]

Oh, I get it. Megaupload is trying to dissuade anyone from SOPA act by making it look ridiculous to do... Well played and commendable.

 

[saregos]

More to the point -
none of this is copyrighted by Universal or the artists. It's a classic "work for hire" dispute, and at best Megaupload violated contract law.

Which has nothing to do with the DMCA... so Universal did, in fact, falsely send a DMCA takedown for content they don't own.

Par for the course, from the industry that censors blogs for an entire year at a time without a whiff of due process. I hope they get smacked down hard on this, but I doubt they will - Faking DMCA takedowns, while illegal, is sadly rarely punished by the courts.

The point is they should be punished.
Nobody should have a product, a shop, an ad or anything they produced removed from the public eyes because someone lied about it. It's an unethical business conduct.

Yeah, but... they won't be.

Too much government in their pocket for that.

 

[DanDeFool]

A second takedown notice came from will.i.am, bespectacled member of infuriating pop-rap-goblin-horde The Black Eyed Peas.

Wow. Somebody really doesn't like the Black Eyed Peas.

And probably also plays Alliance. Otherwise he would have said something like "the infuriating pop-rap-flea-bitten-worgen-gang" or something.

 

[LorienvArden]

Which has nothing to do with the DMCA... so Universal did, in fact, falsely send a DMCA takedown for content they don't own.

Par for the course, from the industry that censors blogs for an entire year at a time without a whiff of due process. I hope they get smacked down hard on this, but I doubt they will - Faking DMCA takedowns, while illegal, is sadly rarely punished by the courts.

Thing is, big record labels like universal are still in the mindset that they own their artists and can dictate what they can and cannot do.

So at the most, universal could sue their artists for breaching contracts when they suddenly 'sing' for somebody else.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

The next time someone tells me that singing about videogames is cringey, or calls me a sellout, I'm going to show them that Megaupload video.

What has the music business come to?

Between Bieber, Black, and all the rest, this is barely a blip on the "what has the industry come to" radar.

 

[NoeL]

I live under a proverbial pop culture rock... just where I want to be, because current pop culture sucks.

First you gloat about being ignorant of pop culture, then you proclaim it sucks; a claim an ignorant person would be incapable of doing.

Seems to me you're just riding the "let's hate on pop culture" bandwagon because it's the popular thing to do. How ironic.


OT: As a fan of pro-atheist videos on youtube I'm well aware of jerks abusing the DMCA system to censor free speech. As such, I'm glad to see Megaupload filing counter-claims, despite my hate for Megaupload itself (Mediafire FTW!!!)

 

[Olivia Faraday]

I like the term "Sellout."

Seriously, what the flying fuck do you people think these people went in the damn business for? Dicks? Waffles? The new fancy Megastar Fireworks system?

No, it couldn't be money. Wanting to eat would make them a sellout!

I completely agree with this.

Every artist tries to make money, and doing something that takes 15 damn minutes on the side to collect a big paycheque doesn't make you worthy of being reviled. It just makes you intelligent.

I bet none of you hipsters crying "SELLOUT" have never done anything they weren't personally invested in with their skillsets to make money, right? You might have to start being butthurt about yourselves on the internet.

 

[samsonguy920]

I sincerely hope this wins, as it will set a new precedent for how Youtube and other video streaming sites will regard copyright law as far as holder requests. Maybe not being so quick on the switch and instead asking for proof that it could put Youtube or such in liability will be a good thing for everyone.
By the way, that is one damn catchy tune.

A second takedown notice came from will.i.am, bespectacled member of infuriating pop-rap-goblin-horde The Black Eyed Peas. According to his attorney, will.i.am never gave permission for his appearance in the video. Which does seem rather strange considering that, at around the 25 second mark, he stares earnestly into the camera and says "When I gotta' send files across the globe, I use Megaupload." Presumably that just came up in regular conversation.

More than likely he is being strong armed by Interscope Records, which so happens to be owned by Universal Music, to perjure himself in their favor. Considering his group shooting themselves in the ass with their crappy performance at the Super Bowl has hurt their sales, will.i.am is probably willing to kiss any studio's ass to keep a job.

Has anyone bothered asking, you know, the actual artists? Why don't we ask Kanye West, Alicia Keys, and Macy Grey about this? Or even Gin Wingmore, she might find all this interesting.

So yeah, anyone thought of just asking them? Don't the artist's opinions matter since apparently that's who Universal is trying to "protect"?

That is a nice idea, except those who are stuck in a contract with any big label is also limited in what they can say about anything without that label's lawyers' say-so. I feel sorry for any decent music artist who signs on with a big label like Universal because they are sacrificing a large portion of their artistic and personal freedom. Your label calls you at 2 in the morning and says they have a press junket for you to go to, you hop.
If you want to show you appreciate music freedom, then buy music and give web traffic to music artists who operate under Creative Commons. It is copyright law handled legit with no shackles on the artists. It's been a while since I've seen who is all working there, but I know Prince and Backstreet Boys have been on that little known list of artists who support music for all.

 

[Awexsome]

Kinda ironic dontcha think? Music stars preforming a promotional video for that massive pirate haven?

Sounds like Universal got mad and tried to pull some bullshit and are paying the price for it. I'd rather hear the artist's side of the story. I mean... I know you guys need to get paid for your choice of career but did you even LOOK at who you were doing a promotion for?

 

[mega48man]

hmmmm, interesting topic to take a stand on.

i kind of wanna side with the artists and universal, but i don't enjoy the music made by ANY of them, except for the fact that Will.i.am is a Proud supporter of F.I.R.S.T. Robotics which means i am obligated to support him out of sheer respect.

(i friggin love F.R.C. with a passion, i miss it so much and i can't wait to find out what the new game is this year)

but i kid of wanna side with megaupload because, well, yarrrr i often watch that 70's show using megaupload yarrr. but then i also kind of hate megaupload because of their GOD DAMN 72 MINUTE COOL DOWN PERIOD. if pirate bay is jack sparrow's crew, then megaupload is Blackbeards crew; pirates who are mean to other pirates and aren't in the better movies.

so in short, i don't care what happens in this legal battle, it will hardly effect me, or most of us escapists for that matter.

 

[Akimoto]

At first I was "Rage against the corporations!" than I saw the video and everything just went into the background.

Daaaaawwww...!

 

[Geisterkarle]

I'm pretty sure MegaUpload paid all of them some money to sing their lines.
If the "artists" didn't ask, what it is used for I'm questioning their knowledge of MegaUpload and also I have to call them "whores", because it seems that they do nearly anything if they get enough money; no questions asked!