It seems like only yesterday that we were telling you, gentle reader, about the MegaUpload song. Facing criticism that it is simply an outlet for Internet piracy, the file locker service headed by Kim Dotcom created a star-studded video of celebrities quite literally singing the praises of the service. Sadly, as quickly as the bewildering video came into our lives (and our hearts) was it pulled from YouTube after a copyright complaint from Universal Music Group (UMG).
According to TorrentFreak, there was a brief tug-of-war between Kim Dotcom and UMG over the video. After the first takedown by UMG, Dotcom was able to get the video re-instated. However, the victory was short-lived as UMG successfully requested a second takedown. Currently, the video is unviewable on YouTube. The loss of video isn’t the only threat to Dotcom’s attempt to bolster support for his sharing service: Multiple takedowns could mean a suspension of the account used to upload the videos.
Dotcom told TorrentFreak that UMG’s actions are a straightforward attempt to silence MegaUpload’s promotional campaign, and nothing to do with copyright.
“Mega[Upload] owns everything in this video. And we have signed agreements with every featured artist for this campaign,” Kim told TorrentFreak.
“UMG did something illegal and unfair by reporting Mega’s content to be infringing. They had no right to do that. We reserve our rights to take legal action. But we’d like to give them the opportunity to apologize.”
The issue of copyright control and Internet piracy has risen once again in recent weeks, mostly because of pending legislation like SOPA. If enacted, this legislation could grant new powers to the Department of Justice to essentially make sites inaccessible after copyright complaints — sometimes referred to as the “Internet Death Penalty.”
What UMG seems to have overlooked is that forcibly taking the video down will probably make more people want to see it. Despite including a host of familiar faces, few people would likely be interested in the self-described “viral campaign” of a website. But now, folks might be more interested in watching the video that has a big name like UMG so scared they had to issue a series of takedowns to keep it suppressed.
If you’re one of those people, you can watch the video below. Think of it as an opportunity to stick it to the man.
(via TorrentFreak)
- Our original coverage of strange MegaUpload song
- SOPA could drastically change how the US deals with copyright online
- The biggest online companies line up against SOPA
