Great Moments In AP Protectionism: Demands Takedown Of Videos It Purposely Shared With Affiliate

from the brilliant-work dept

Thu, Apr 9th 2009 10:18am — Mike Masnick

A bunch of folks are submitting the latest and greatest in the Associated Press's attempt to become the RIAA of news. The AP, smartly, has a YouTube channel, where it puts up a bunch of AP videos, with the embed code enabled. An AP affiliate in Tennessee reasonably embedded some of those videos... and were promptly accused of "stealing" the AP's licensed content and ordered to take it down. There are so many things wrong with this situation it's difficult to know where to start:

It's the AP's own YouTube channel.
This radio station is an AP affiliate.
The AP turned on the embedding function
When told all of this, the AP exec demanding the takedown had no idea it had a YouTube channel.

This is clearly part the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing... but it's also a sign of how out of touch the AP remains. When it purposely offers up content for sharing, it did something smart. Demanding that anyone take down content that was specifically designed to be shared in this manner is just amazing.

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Filed Under: copyright, embedding, protectionism, takedowns, videos
Companies: associated press

33 Comments

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Weird Harolds #2 Fan, 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:36am

Theft
Sharing is stealing!!

You wouldn't stab your grandmother; so why would you steal news?!
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- sehlat (profile), 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:58am
  
  Re: Theft
  And corporate bullying is corporate bullying. If the AP beat up your grandmother, wouldn't you be just a tad annoyed?
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- Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:04am
  
  Re: Theft
  "You wouldn't stab your grandmother; so why would you steal news?!"
  
  "You wouldn't stab your grandmother?" is my new motto - I want it on a T-Shirt with the RIAA logo on the back hehe
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lulz, 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:39am

Some organizations are just very finicky about distribution. What does it matter if it's embedded? People are getting their content out there.
Pfft, idiots.
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GeneralEmergency (profile), 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:45am

Obligitory AP bashing...
AP now means "Asshat Posse".

Lets hear yours.
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- Chronno S. Trigger, 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:53am
  
  Re: Obligitory AP bashing...
  AP = Ascending Psychosis
  
  I know it's irrelevant to the article, but I like using big words (even if I don't know how to spell them).
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  - dredeyedick, 9 Apr 2009 @ 9:50pm
    
    Re: Re: Obligitory AP bashing...
    Apoplectic Pratts!
    
    Aggravating Putzes!
    
    Arrogant Printers performing Asynchronous Perambulations!
    
    Yes, they hyperventilated when Rupert said "That's got to stop." Then they pestered an affiliate (Affiliate Pesterers!) thereby revealing how fitfully they do a drunkard's walk towards a new business model - that failed 10 years ago.
    
    Always Privileged!
    
    (i've been looking at this story in too many places for too long... forgive me ;) )
    
    -dcm
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- Leigh (profile), 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:53am
  
  Re: Obligitory AP bashing...
  How about AP is in their Attorneys' Pockets
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- Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:06am
  
  Re: Obligitory AP bashing...
  how about AP = Alienating People?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:22am
  
  Re: Obligitory AP bashing...
  Assmunching Prostitutes.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Shawn, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:27am
    
    Re: Re: Obligitory AP bashing...
    AP = Anti-Freedom Plutocrats
    
    - wow im bored - could do this all afternoon LOL
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- Azrael, 10 Apr 2009 @ 12:52am
  
  Re: Obligitory AP bashing...
  Anal Parasites - i think it pretty much sums them up.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Zaven, 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:52am

Ambiguous Possum

They're not sure whether to play dead or sue the crap out of everyone in site.
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- Easily Amused, 9 Apr 2009 @ 5:07pm
  
  Re:
  I am stealing that for a band name....
  
  The t-shirts will be EPIC
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Weird Harold, 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:54am

Just because one part of the AP provides a service, doesn't mean another part doesn't have the right to enforce their copyright. Case in point, Coke Zero. The original Coke has an ongoing lawsuit against Coke Zero as shown in those commercials...I don't really see how anybody can think this is a bad idea. Capitalist Mike seems to have a love affair with competition and consumer choice and all that capitalist crap, so he should love this!
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- Zaven, 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:56am
  
  Re:
  Coulda sworn the coke vs coke zero thing was a joke.
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- GeneralEmergency (profile), 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:01am
  
  Well, this makes it pretty clear now...
  Weird Harold(TM)(C)(Patent Pending) must be AP's lead counsel.
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- Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:08am
  
  Re:
  "The original Coke has an ongoing lawsuit against Coke Zero"
  
  This is called advertising.
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- Michael Ennis, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:17am
  
  Re:
  Close, but the big difference here is that Coke's lawsuit against Coke Zero is a marketing ploy to convince us, the teeming masses, that the flavor is the same (they are suing for 'taste infringement') unlike AP whom I believe would actually pursue a real lawsuit if the videos remained up on the site in question.
  
  Links to Coke's faux lawsuit videos found here:
  
  http://www.cpbgroup.com/awards/cokevscokezero.html
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- B, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:44am
  
  Re:
  I love how if anyone but WH had made that post everyone would have easily picked up on the sarcasm and moved on with their day.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:57am
    
    Re: Re:
    I love how if anyone but WH had made that post everyone would have easily picked up on the sarcasm and moved on with their day.
    
    If it were anyone else, you would assume that the person wasn't so obtuse as to really believe that Coke was suing itself.
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Geoffrey Kidd (profile), 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:57am

Stupidity is more abundant than hydrogen.
See article above for proof.

LOL
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Weird Harold, 9 Apr 2009 @ 10:59am

Funny, impersonating me is so hilarious. But I digress. I think its completely reasonable that executives of companies have as little to do with operations of their company as possible, like the AP. This way they can concentrate on spending money on elephant leather chairs , and learning how to use a blackberry.

Its a matter of fact that executives are always right , and everyone else is,by subtraction, wrong.
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- Shawn, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:10am
  
  Re:
  "Its a matter of fact that executives are always right , and everyone else is,by subtraction, wrong."
  
  I hate to agree with Harry Strange, but judging by where society puts it resources (in terms of the compensation the recieve in a dollars sense) we pretty much all seem to agree with him on this at least.
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- John Doe, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:12am
  
  Re:
  For once I agree with WH. The top execs are too busy stuffing bags full of money they can't be bothered to actually manage a company. Much like our politicians.
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- Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2009 @ 12:13pm
  
  Re:
  Which one is the real Weird Harold! We better shoot both of them to make sure!
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  - Trails, 9 Apr 2009 @ 12:53pm
    
    Re: Re:
    You owe me a new keyboard, jackass.
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SpinLock, 9 Apr 2009 @ 1:14pm

AP - You can't spell CHEAP without AP!
The AP is incorporated as a Not For Profit company under U.S. law. Their current trajectory will likely ensure they live up to their incorporation status.
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RR23, 9 Apr 2009 @ 1:41pm

re:
I love the AP more and more every day!
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Jeff, 9 Apr 2009 @ 1:51pm

Dinosaurus AP
This is a clear cut case of an old conglomerate trying to do the Web 2.0 thing, but then greed overtakes common sense. Both Google News and Youtube should cut them off dry. Who needs the AP anyways.
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Gabriel, 9 Apr 2009 @ 3:31pm

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/08/ap-exec-doesnt-know-it-has-a-youtube-channel-threatens-affiliat e-for-embedding-videos/#comment-2690486

Not only was this AP exec unaware of the fact that the AP has a YouTube channel, but their channel is evidently among the top viewed in the reporters category, and has thousands of videos posted.

You'd think with a presence that significant on YouTube, the AP's executives would, you know, be aware of it...
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Dan, 10 Apr 2009 @ 12:35am

AP
The new SCO. Everyone needs a goal.
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VRP, 11 Apr 2009 @ 1:12pm

Degree decorated morons
Any wonder the world is laughing at those dumb americans?

VRP
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