Exclusive: YouTube Responds to UMG vs. Megaupload

This morning we brought you a story concerning the conflict between Megaupload and Universal Music Group. Last week Megaupload, which has been the target of the RIAA’s and MPAA’s ire for its perceived role in piracy, posted a video in which a number of big-name stars sang about their support for Megaupload. UMG flagged the video via YouTube’s automated content management system. When Megaupload protested and re-posted the video, UMG removed it again.

Challenged to provide proof their right to have the video removed, UMG sent YouTube’s legal department a letter in which they effectively claimed that a special agreement with YouTube meant that they did not need to have a specific copyright claim on a video’s content in order to have it removed via the content management system.

In the course of preparing this morning’s story I sent requests for comment to YouTube, and to Kelly Klaus, the lawyer for UMG who sent the letter. While no response from Mr. Klaus has been forthcoming, I just received a response from a YouTube spokesperson, who had this to say:

Our partners do not have the right to take down videos from YT unless they own the rights to them or they are live performances controlled through exclusive agreements with their artists, which is why we reinstated it.

There you have it. UMG did not have any exclusive agreement with YouTube that would allow them to remove the video.

There are 5 Comments. Add Yours.

ken
December 16, 2011 at 3:47 pm

salivating, keep the news coming

I am missing the tech drama since SCO vs everybody.
Chris
December 17, 2011 at 7:18 am

The response from YT seems to suggest that YT has re-enabled the video. Is that correct? Does anyone have a link?
Renee Marie Jones
December 17, 2011 at 9:38 am

They claim that they can remove vidoes WITHOUT ANY COPYRIGHT CLAIM and Congress wants to give them even MORE power? UMG thinks they are a law unto themselves!

UMG wants people to respect copyright, yet they show nothing but DISRESPECT for copyright by claiming rights over other people’s work!
Jacqueline
December 18, 2011 at 2:14 pm

Since there is are digital down loand all over the world with all of the i phones now in existance – won’t the planet itself be the main music store of the world?
UMG (Universal Music Group) is a huge powerful conglomate who feeds off of music royalties from ever source available to them.
How can this be policed on the internet if a person is a holder of music copyright or a writer or publisher of a song????
Grinder
December 19, 2011 at 1:11 pm

Just another fine example of why we cannot pass laws empowering companies like UMG to restrict and remove content because they will abuse these privileges extensively. I am sure there are many, many other examples of this that do not break through to the headlines. If things like this are allowed continue like this we won’t be able to access anything but ad-saturated web pages provided and approved by the mega corps that run this country.