The Mega Song. Megaupload Drops Lawsuit Against Universal Music Over Viral Video (Exclusive) Getty Kanye West In the aftermath of the Justice Department's crackdown on Megaupload, the company has dropped its lawsuit against Universal Music Group over an allegedly unlawful takedown of a video showing many superstars endorsing the troubled file-sharing service. However, the lawsuit is not quite over just yet. On Friday, Megaupload's lawyers filed a notice in California federal court to dismiss the claims against UMG without prejudice, but also told the judge that that the claims against anonymous John Does who participated in the takedown of the viral video continues. Megaupload also wants to pursue further discovery in the case and is attempting to get Google to cooperate on this front by preserving records. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Memorable Mea Culpas A lawsuit that was strange from the very beginning has just taken another twist.
Soon thereafter, just as the video was going viral, the music video was yanked off of YouTube over an apparent takedown notice. E-mail: eriqgardner@yahoo.com. MegaUpload soutenu par Puff Daddy, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg et d'autres artistes. Confrontés au piratage, les ayants droit ont désigné un certain nombre de sites web à abattre en priorité. C'est le cas de MegaUpload, un service d'hébergement de fichiers en un clic lancé en 2005. L'entreprise est en effet accusée de ne pas prendre de mesures suffisamment fortes contre le téléchargement illicite, afin d'attirer toujours plus d'internautes prêts à payer quelques euros pour télécharger plus rapidement des œuvres.
C'est ainsi que MegaUpload s'est retrouvé dans le collimateur de la MPAA et de la RIAA. Les deux associations américaines, chargées respectivement de défendre les intérêts de l'industrie du cinéma et du disque, ont placé depuis longtemps l'hébergeur sur liste noire, à côté de sites comme The Pirate Bay, isoHunt, BT Junkie, FileSonic ou encore 4Shared. En visant MegaUpload, la MPAA et la RIAA estiment rendre le meilleur service aux artistes. Alicia Keys, Puff Daddy, Will.I.Am, Snoo Dogg, Estelle, Chris Brown, Kanye West, Lil John ou encore Mary J Blidge. Universal music files fraudulent copyright complaints with YouTube, censors pro-Megaupload song.
Universal fait censurer la chanson de MegaUpload. Megaupload Says It Will Sue Universal Music Over Removal of Controversial Video. Getty Images Megaupload is threatening to sue Universal Music Group for allegedly sending a takedown notice that resulted in the removal from YouTube of a music video where various superstars endorse the file-sharing platform. ' Update: The lawsuit has been filed. Last week, Megaupload shocked the entertainment industry by introducing the "Megaupload Mega Song," from Will.i.am, P Diddy, Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Kanye West, Lil John, Jamie Foxx, Mary J Blige, Floyd Mayweather,The Game and more.
But the video was quickly removed from YouTube after it was flagged for copyright infringement. Megaupload says that the takedown notice came from UMG, and tells TorrentFreak that it plans to sue the label. “Let us be clear: Nothing in our song or the video belongs to Universal Music Group," said Megaupload CEO David Robb. PHOTOS: Crazy Cases! UMG didn't immediately respond to our requests for clarification on the material that is in dispute.
E-mail: eriqgardner@yahoo.com. UMG claims "right to block or remove" YouTube videos it doesn't own. Universal Music Group has responded to Megaupload's request for a temporary restraining order barring the music giant from further interference with the distribution of its "Mega Song. " UMG insists that it had a right to take down the video—not under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, as Megaupload had assumed, but under a private contractual arrangement between UMG and YouTube. UMG's filing raises more questions than it answers. Most obviously, the firm has not explained why it took down the video in the first place. But the filing also raises deeper questions about UMG's effort to essentially opt out of the DMCA takedown rules. UMG seems to believe it can take down videos even if it doesn't hold the copyright to them, and that when UMG takes a video down from YouTube, the owner of that video can't avail herself of even the weak protections against takedown abuse provided by the DMCA.
A different kind of takedown "Not limited to copyright infringement" MegaUpload : Universal n'a pas suivi la loi mais un contrat avec YouTube. L'affaire MegaUpload contre Universal Music devient révélatrice du danger démocratique que représentent les accords contractuels passés entre des ayants droit et des plateformes privées qui servent de réceptacle à la liberté d'expression des internautes. Jeudi, la plus grande maison de disques du monde a en effet expliqué au tribunal qu'il avait le droit de faire retirer la chanson promotionnelle de MegaUpload, non pas sur la base du Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA, l'équivalent américain de notre LCEN), mais sur la base d'un accord contractuel passé avec YouTube.
Universal Music explique en effet (.pdf) qu'elle a signé le 31 mars 2009 un "accord de licence vidéo" avec YouTube, qui prévoit que la maison de disques peut utiliser le "Système de Gestion des Contenus" de la plateforme pour retirer des vidéos dès lors qu'elles portent atteinte à ses droits.
Megaupload, Universal and the DMCA-less Mega Song Takedown. Last week, Megaupload’s Mega Song was on its way to becoming a viral hit, only to be removed from YouTube by a Universal Music takedown demand. Following the filing of a Megaupload lawsuit the song is now back online, but Universal are standing firm. The label says that they have a private arrangement with YouTube that falls outside of the DMCA, and that essentially they can take down any content they like, whether they own the copyrights or not. Ben Jones takes a closer look at the mechanics.
When something is flagged by YouTube’s Content ID the copyright claimant has to decide what will happen to the video. The video can be monetized with ads, the video can be restricted from view in any or all countries, or nothing is done so the video can be used as a popularity measurement. In the Megaupload Mega Song case, UMG elected for a worldwide block. This is as far as UMG says things have gone. Dear BJonesTF: P diddy feat kanye west,chris brown – Megaupload song. YouTube Says Universal Had No ‘Right’ to Take Down Megaupload Video. YouTube’s copyright filters removed the all-star video, which features Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, will.i.am and others, on Dec. 9. Google reinstated the four-minute spot Wednesday. “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,” Google-owned YouTube said. Megaupload produced the video for $3 million, and says it has waivers from all the celebrities.
The Hong Kong-based service claims in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that the takedown was a “sham” designed to chill free speech. Megaupload has some 50 million daily users, and the recording industry says it is a haven for music pirates. But Universal told Wilken, an Oakland federal judge, that Megaupload is not entitled to monetary damages, (.pdf) even if Universal Music gamed YouTube’s filters. Megaupload’s lawsuit is pending. Megaupload to Universal: You’ve Got Some Explaining To Do. In their 18-page response filing at the US District Court for Northern Californian earlier this month, not once did Universal Music say why they forced YouTube to remove Megaupload’s Mega Song. Since that's what the dispute between the two companies is all about, that was a pretty strange event. In a new filing, Megaupload makes it clear that it isn't going to be brushed aside.
The cyberlocker wants answers, and it will dig deep to get them. Early December, Megaupload’s ‘Mega Song’ was on its way to becoming a viral hit, only to be cut down from YouTube by a Universal Music takedown demand. In response, Megaupload filed a lawsuit against Universal and YouTube reinstated the video. The basis for the takedown has never been clear. Notably, though, Universal has never said exactly why it had the video taken down. The first UMG claim is that Megaupload sued the wrong UMG ‘entity’.