DMCA Takedown

How we defeated Lionsgate's unfair takedown of Buffy v Edward, and our next battle

As you may have heard, New Media Rights recently assisted pop-culture hacker and remix artist Jonathan McIntosh (RebelliousPixels.com) in his battle with Lionsgate over the improper copyright takedown of his well known Buffy vs. Edward: Twilight Remixed video.
 
Jonathan's story is most interesting, because Jonathan had recently shown the Copyright Office the video in a hearing about copyright exemptions last May where New Media Rights was advocating for your right to reuse video under fair use. In one of its findings, the Office praised the video as an example of innovative fair use that copyright exemptions are there to protect. 
 
Jonathan's battle, and our experience working with folks one-to-one suggests there are large media companies that intend to blindly monetize every reuse of content, even if it means steamrolling fair use and the freedom of speech. 
 
Due to Jonathan's compelling post, and supporting coverage from ARS Technica and people like Mike Masnick of Techdirt, we were able to resolve his issues, and now Jonathan's Buffy Versus Edward: Twilight Remixed is back on Youtube, viewable without ads.  Forbes also covered this victory.
 
Read on to learn how we won this victory, how we can keep this work going, and about our next battle against unwarranted takedowns.

NMR helps remix artist Jonathan McIntosh fight Lionsgate's Youtube takedown of "Buffy vs. Edward"

Buffy vs Edward unfairly removed

A new year brings new battles for independent creators to share their work.

Pop-culture hacker and remix artist Jonathan McIntosh (popculturedetective.com) explains in this post how New Media Rights is fighting for him in his battle with Lionsgate over the copyright takedown of his well known Buffy vs. Edward remix video.

New Media Rights is proud to be helping Jonathan fight this battle with Lionsgate over his video.  Asserting the right to make fair use of content simply shouldn't be this hard.

It is part of a bigger picture development in the world of online video.

His story, and our experience working with folks one-to-one suggests there are large media companies that intend to blindly monetize every reuse of content, even if it means steamrolling fair use and the freedom of speech. 

Read the full story to learn more.

Remember New Media Rights is a non-profit project doing this work on a shoe string budget, so if you support this work please donate now so we can keep advocating for creators like Jonathan!

 

New Media Rights protects another blogger from censorship and DMCA abuse

New Media Rights recently protected blogger Michael Petrelis' speech and commentary regarding another blogger who pretended to be a gay Syrian woman living in Damascus. 

Mr. Petrelis is just one example of the hundreds of individuals who rely on New Media Rights daily.  His story reminds us that we have the right to criticize and comment on the culture that surrounds us.

COICA v. 2.0: the PROTECT IP Act

The Senate is gearing up for another go-round on rogue websites legislation, and this time, they've jettisoned the "COICA" label in favor of calling it the "PROTECT IP Act." Like a summer blockbuster sequel, it tightens up some things, adds a few new villains, but in the end reprises the same general plot.

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Sheet Music Domain Goes Down Over Bogus Copyright Claim

Yesterday, IMSLP, a website dedicated to archiving public domain sheet music lost its domain name due to a complaint sent by the UK’s Music Publishers Association to the site’s registrar, GoDaddy. The notice incorrectly claimed that IMSLP’s copy of Rachmaninoff’s The Bells infringed copyright.

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