by cedars 36 Replies latest jw friends
Well, Cedars, it just proves that your Sparlock song is a hit and the WTS wants it all for themselves.
It wouldn't surprise me if one of the Governing Body shows up on America's Got Talent or some similar show singing your 'Sparlock We Love You" song, claiming it for his own, and tries for a prize!
What next, having to submit a request for a patent holder for each letter? Who do I go to in order to get the A's printed? Then the B's? And so on. Or does the Washtowel own trademarks for each of the letters of the alphabet and each numeral, so they can prevent material outside their parameters from being posted? At which point, the "copyright law" becomes the "The Second Dark Ages is Officially Here" law.
On top of that, the washtowel went beyond what the law said to get anything removed that criticizes them. Yet, I wonder how they would have felt had Vangelis sued the crap out of the Washtowel for plagiarizing "Chariots of Fire" in its 1984 Song 42.
It's a shame that a corporation like the Watchtower Society can use DMCA complaints to infringe on the free speech rights of its critics. If someone objects, they will get their name and address and can persecute them even more. Abusing this process could expose them to legal liability if they ever pick on the wrong person. In the meantime, there is the court of public opinion. At least they are being exposed for the hypocritical bullies that they are.
Just FYI, cedars' video is still up on the interwebs. Y'only have to google. For those with accounts for uploading videos, mirror.
Guys, the process is entirely automated by YT, where the IP owner doesn't have to find violations and tell YT; they simply provide YT with "their" content (which legally IS theirs). WTBTS is no different from any other content owner here... Fair use claim is a legal DEFENSE, not a RIGHT, since only a judge and jury can determine if a particular use IS fair.
Btw, www.chillingeffects.org is a website for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (Lawrence Lessig), a Bay Area group which protects freedom of speech issues on the Internet. It would be good to send those takedowns to shame the WTBTS, although you'd probably have to actually engage with them and fight it to have something more impressive than just an automated takedown notice.
Someone said something about WT abusing DMCA: far from it. They ARE following DMCA procedure, as is YT. WT may be hoping no one knows to file a counter-notice, but that's not illegal: that's just how DMCA works....
In the Silicon Valley a number of companies file lawsuits as a way to legally slow competitors, and expose company secrets. WTBT$ is simply doing the same thing.
WT's actions may be legal, but they're [as usual] incredibly dishonest.
