TV Network Uses Questionable Copyright Claim To Take Down Report Criticizing Its Reporting On Copyright
from the full-circle dept
TorrentFreak has the story of how media company Central European Media Enterprises apparently is using highly questionable copyright claims to censor a YouTube video of someone criticizing CEME's reporting on copyright via their BTV channel. This is happening in Bulgaria, where the company put on a TV show "investigating" two popular BitTorrent trackers, Zamunda and ArenaBG, that are based in that country. Apparently, the report was heavily biased in one direction:You can see why this might draw some criticism. Another journalist, Ivan Stamenov, did a rebuttal video, which he posted on YouTube, entitled "BTV and torrents: Shock Dose of Ignorance." BTV's response was to issue a takedown, claiming copyright. He does admit that there is a piece of the video that shows the BTV logo, but he insists that's about the only thing that might be infringing (and that would actually be trademark, not copyright). Either way, it seems pretty clear that this takedown has little to do with the copyrights (though it may have plenty to do with the fight over the concept of copyright), and was very much focused on trying to silence a critic.The show went on to press the one-download-one-lost-sale mantra, suggested that a “3 strikes” regime should be considered to deal with infringement, and criticized local ISPs for providing high-speed connections used for pirating.
BTV also claimed to have contacted the operators of Zamunda so that their side of the story could be heard, but a source close to the site told TorrentFreak that after initially making contact and getting Zamunda’s attention (just 3 days before the show was aired), the show failed to respond to further contact from the site.
The end result, critics say, was an ‘investigative’ report biased towards rightsholders at a time when bTV is not only promoting its just-launched Voyo PPV service, but simultaneously running an anti-torrent site campaign of its own.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: bittorrent, bulgaria, isp, reporting
Companies: central european media enterprises
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
And it keeps happening.
Until we repeal the DMCA itself and do away with its takedown provisions and its DRM provisions entirely, our rights will continue to be trampled under its aegis.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: And it keeps happening.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: And it keeps happening.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: And it keeps happening.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: And it keeps happening.
Nuke that copyright from orbit. It's the only way to be sure...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: And it keeps happening.
Or maybe it was just their view of the "free man" that made this whole mess possible..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: And it keeps happening.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Even with this, the courts are starting to wise up and support the first amendment. There was an article a few days ago where an artist portrayed famous scenes. The school tried to issue take downs for using the school colors on the uniforms in the paintings.
But I have to agree, copyright and trademark are 2 completly different animals...and the DMCA crap can just go away!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Frequently Asked Questions (or should be asked)
Global FAQ
What was the number one ranked communications corporation in 1950?
What is the number one ranked communications corporation in 2012?
Who actually owns AT&T?
Who invites Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) to those international banker forums known as "Bilderberg forums"?
Who lobbied fervently for the passage of NAFTA?
Who lobbied for China's entrance into the WTO?
Who established banking operations in Beijing and Moscow in 1973, immediately after Nixon's trip there?
What was the name of the senator from West Virginia who was the lead in congress in the passage of the legislation granting retroactive immunity to AT&T and the telecoms?
Who wants to end any semblance of network neutrality so they can control the Internet?
What was the name of that old German pop song with the lyric,
"Rock...e...feller....Rock..e.... .Rock ...e ..feller"?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Frequently Asked Questions (or should be asked)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Maybe We Should Call It What It Is...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Maybe We Should Call It What It Is...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
this is exactly what it's doing. condemning torrent sites whilst promoting it's own new PPV service. you know the rules. if you cant stop something by competing, by offering a better service and value to customers, spread a giant load of lies and B/S. either way, the end result needed ie, shutting down torrent sites, is achieved. typical action from the entertainment industries
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
DMCA
[ link to this | view in chronology ]