In The Patent Battle Over Speech Devices, The Real 'Irreparable Harm' Is A Child Losing Her Only Voice
Olympics Can't Hire Enough Actual Security, But Fully Staffed With 'Brand Police'

Lord Finesse Learning How The Streisand Effect Works: Tons Of People Re-Upload Dan Bull's Video

Copyright

from the calling-more-attention-to-it... dept

Mon, Jul 16th 2012 2:45pm — Mike Masnick
We've covered how Lord Finesse and his lawyers appear to be using copyright to stifle criticism of Finesse's lawsuit against Mac Miller, and how Dan Bull was speaking out against that kind of censorship. It's been quite clear that Finesse's main reason for issuing the takedown was to stifle the criticism, since tons of videos using the same beat remain online -- including Mac Miller's.

But, of course, as we've learned over the years, when you try to stifle free speech online, a funny thing happens. It seems that plenty of people aren't at all happy about Lord Finesse's attempt to silence Dan Bull, and they're re-uploading copies of the video by the dozen. At the time I'm writing this, there are well over 100 other copies of the video uploaded. Here's just a sampling of what the search results look like:

Might have been wiser to have just kept quiet about the damn thing. By taking it down, Finesse has now called a hell of a lot more attention to Dan Bull's rather important criticism of his actions.
Hide this

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: dan bull, fair dealing, fair use, lord finesse, mac miller, parody, streisand effect

65 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    Hothmonster, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:03pm

    and as long as those people don't have ads he is fine with it I am sure...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:17pm

      Re:

      It is a sad world, when "counterfeit" for a chunk change ends up getting hit with a lawsuit. In most other businesses you see discretion since it is so overkill.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:03pm

    That's right. You should shame people into behaving the way you want them to behave. Good on ya.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Baldaur Regis (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:14pm

      Re:

      *shrug* Beats the heck out of suing some kid for stealing music that you stole in the first place, doncha know.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Leigh Beadon (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:23pm

      Re:

      You should shame people into behaving the way you want them to behave.

      Yes. Exactly. That's a succinct (if pessimistically phrased) definition of human society itself.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Hephaestus (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 4:17pm

        Re: Re:

        "But, of course, as we've learned over the years, when you try to stifle free speech online, a funny thing happens."

        I was wondering is that, "funny Ha Ha" or "Oh god we are seriously fucked" followed by uncontrollable laughing?

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      MrWilson, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:59pm

      Re:

      Because reasoning with these types of people works so well...?

      What options are there really?

      You could sue, if you have standing (or even if you don't...), if you have money and/or a lawyer and/or a law degree, thus costing your target, as well as taxpayers, a lot of money.

      You could threaten to sue with the purpose of trying to shut them down and/or extorting a few thousand dollars from them.

      You could track them down in the real world and use armed force, which will get you assault and menacing charges and a nice stay in a Federal 'Pound Me In The Ass' Prison.

      Or, you know, public shaming on the internet where people can see your words and make their own minds about whether or not they want to also publicly shame or even cease supporting Lord Finesse's work if they are currently doing so - sounds like a good idea.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      The Groove Tiger (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 5:32pm

      Re:

      "That's right. You should sue people into behaving the way you want them to behave. Good on ya."

      FTFY

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      JMT (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 6:54pm

      Re:

      You mean the way I'm shamed into not pirating the DVD I'm watching, and every other time I watch it, even though I bought or rented it legitimately?

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 9:01pm

      Re:

      Don't worry, I'm sure if you keep yelling at reality and telling it to stop working in a way you don't like, it will change for you.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 9:33pm

      Re:

      Well, I want people to behave morally. IP extremist(s) (shills), including yourself, have absolutely no regard for morality.

      I agree that people shouldn't have to be shamed into behaving morally. Ideally, internal conviction should cause them to behave morally. Since you and other IP extremists have no regard for morality that doesn't work.

      The legal system should not facilitate your immoral behavior. Since IP laws are immoral our legal system is also a failure.

      So what's left? Public scrutiny. It shouldn't come to that but, unfortunately, it has.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 10:36pm

      Re:

      You mean exactly how copyright lawyers for pornography studios do it? Shaming people into being linked to pornography to demand thousands of dollars?

      If you think that is acceptable, why not this? Is Finesse's reputation being unreasonably threatened as a result of actions he did not do?

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Tim K (profile), 17 Jul 2012 @ 5:28am

      Re:

      Lol, that's a form of punishment that society gives for not following the norms. That's how things work. If people aren't shamed or otherwise punished for doing something wrong they keep doing it. Glad you're starting to learn how we as a society work.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Chargone (profile), 18 Jul 2012 @ 12:35am

        Re: Re:

        yes. the problem comes when the norms are problematic, mind you. then it quickly becomes bullying.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    :Lobo Santo (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:06pm

    Lord "Finesse"

    Obviously somebody who doesn't really understand the meaning of Finesse after all.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    anon, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:10pm

    LF

    Please can we stop calling him Lord Finess and maybe shorten it to Finny or something, starting to really get annoyed that a prick like this is using his name to try to look important, while he is just one of the millions of rappers that use other peoples work to create something new.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      OMG Whatever, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:47pm

      Re: LF

      As I have said earlier:

      In order to avoid further lawsuits, including those dealing with alleged defamation I propose the said artist is to be called Lord Shampoo from now on.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Pixelation, 16 Jul 2012 @ 4:01pm

      Re: LF

      "Please can we stop calling him Lord Finess and maybe shorten it to Finny or something"

      How about shorten it to "Less"?

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 5:30pm

      Re: LF

      Who the hell is this effing schmuck anyway? He's got a face like a sow's butt, only not as pretty - kind of a pigass face.

      He looks like he probably couldn't even spell his own name if it was written in six-inch high block letters on a piece of paper in front of him. He's likely just another dumb stump in the endless line of dumb stumps that the MAFIAA pushers recruit to chew up and spit out and make a dishonest buck off. In other words: a loser - here today, gone tomorrow.

      The takedown notice was filed a guy who claims to be his lawyer - his name and throwaway e-mail address are clear to see in Dan Bull's video. Maybe that's who you want to go after.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:12pm

    I always wonder if they just don't pay attention to the Streisand effect. Its pretty obvious that this would get even more attention.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Rikuo (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:20pm

    I gotta ask though - Did all these people re-uploading the video know beforehand that the video was going to be taken down? Because...not many people actually download Youtube videos. They stream them, watch them then close their browser. To actually go to the trouble of downloading the video and saving it on your hard drive...it seems a bit odd that all these people would have done it for this one specific video.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Leigh Beadon (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:25pm

      Re:

      Dan tweeted a Mediafire download link for the video file last week, after it was taken down from YouTube

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Rikuo (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:32pm

        Re: Re:

        Thanks.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        GMacGuffin (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:37pm

        Re: Re:

        One of the videos provided a dropbox link for downloading the vid as well: www.dropbox.com/sh/j9xrzqymurdbkzg/Qn1Im5BbFg#/

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 7:25pm

        Re: Re:

        So basically, Dan could have put himself in a lot of legal trouble by aiding the distribution of the video, after knowing it was taken down for copyright reasons?

        Sounds like a very reasonable thing to do for a guy begging for attention.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 9:03pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          It's a little sad that you've become desperate that this is all you have to fall back upon.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 11:05pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          The claim for taking down the video was because they claimed Dan Bull was making money off it. By posting it to Mediafire where everyone can get it he's making it clear that he's not intending to make money off it through ad revenue.

          Unless you'd like to state that Mediafire has ads, in which case, you should be going after Mediafire. Not that it somehow makes your point less bullshitty.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          PaulT (profile), 17 Jul 2012 @ 12:40am

          Re: Re: Re:

          "So basically, Dan could have put himself in a lot of legal trouble by aiding the distribution of the video, after knowing it was taken down for copyright reasons?"

          Technically yes, I suppose. But considering that most people seem to not only agree that those "copyright reasons" were a bunch of crap designed to silence him, but are willing to put themselves in the same danger in support of him, he may not have been wrong to do so.

          "Sounds like a very reasonable thing to do for a guy begging for attention."

          Begging for attention... sounds like some other people I've encountered in recent years...

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          RadialSkid (profile), 17 Jul 2012 @ 4:23am

          Re: Re: Re:

          They're called principles. You should develop a few of your own.

          And Dan Bull doesn't have to "beg" for attention. He's already gotten it.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Tim K (profile), 17 Jul 2012 @ 5:31am

          Re: Re: Re:

          The copyright takedown wasn't even valid. The reason he didn't fight it himself was because to do so would put his youtube account in jeopardy, not because he thought his content was illegal. So by using a different medium he allows his youtube channel to be safe, while still sharing his video

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          fairusefriendly (profile), 19 Jul 2012 @ 9:33am

          Re: Re: Re:

          except lord censorship said he had no problem with the message if it didn't get posted on a channel that was making money from it.

          So dan bull is basically giving lord censorship exactly what he wanted. Which in turn means that there is no infringement for THESE upload.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Emil, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:42pm

      Re:

      Only a single person need have done so to make it work, and since Dan Bull had a copy on his local machine, that's at least one. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a few fanbois out there who downloads all his videos. Hell, some people might even have predicted that this might get taken down and thus saved an offline copy.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 4:41pm

      Re:

      I download videos because I often rewatch ones I like and don't want to wait for it to stream

      /did not reupload the Dan bull thing

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Michael, 16 Jul 2012 @ 6:43pm

      Re:

      Cache.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      techflaws (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 10:09pm

      Re:

      Because...not many people actually download Youtube videos.
      Says who?
      To actually go to the trouble of downloading the video
      You mean like pasting the link into Jdownloader and chosing what quality to download?

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Danny (profile), 17 Jul 2012 @ 2:16am

      Re:

      You realise of course that when you watch a youtube video that video is downloaded to your hard disk. It is the same for any content on the internet, that's how it works!

      Its a simple operation to pull that file out of your cache and re upload. Obviously Dan uploaded it to a locker for people to download but that is not the only way to skin this cat!

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jacob Blaustein, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:43pm

    So when can we expect karma to fully kick "Lord" "Finesse" where the sun don't shine.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    btr1701, 16 Jul 2012 @ 3:57pm

    Carreon

    Sounds like Finesse needs to hire Chuckie Carreon and his insane harpy of a wife.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 5:19pm

    What I have learned from this so far

    1. Dan Bull is a great guy, stands up for what he believes.
    2. Lord Finesse, in my opinion, is a jealous douche
    3. Lords lawsuit resulted in me hearing about Mac Miller

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2012 @ 6:01pm

      Re: What I have learned from this so far

      Lords lawsuit resulted in me hearing about Mac Miller, and Robert Hall Jr.

      I still ain't interested in them mind.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    TDR, 16 Jul 2012 @ 6:21pm

    All that remains now is to see if Lord Finesse goes for the Carreon Effect.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Get off my cyber-lawn! (profile), 16 Jul 2012 @ 6:26pm

    Who is this Lord Clueluess and why did the queen knight him?

    So let me see if I got this...

    Many years ago some artist wrote a song which included a beat so "dope" that this Lord Clueless just HAD to RIP IT OFF...er sample it. Now Dan Bull wrote a CLEARLY PROTECTED commentary on said work using the previously mentioned STOLEN IP PROPERTY...er beat and was threatened with a lawsuit (and beating with a spaghetti noodle I hear).

    Dan, go over to Kickstarter or some other fan-funded website and start a legal defense fund. I'll contribute and I don't even listen to music! Then, if Lord Clueless sues you have have money. If he doesn't you can donate it to charity....if CARREON doesn't get after you first.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      VMax, 16 Jul 2012 @ 9:59pm

      Re: Who is this Lord Clueluess and why did the queen knight him?

      I can't steal a song, I can't steal a thought. I can copy, but even then, it's not even a reproduction; it's my take one it. I can't rip the synapses from your brain and put them in mine. I can however take what I heard from you or understood from what you said and make something similar with my expression added. It's like a musical Jam session, everyone listens and takes what everyone else is doing and adds to it. No song/idea can be perfectly transferred to another person. We add, we grow. I'd say that's a good thing.
      Sorry, but I get bent out of shape when people say stealing non-physical stuff.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2012 @ 4:33am

        Re: Re: Who is this Lord Clueluess and why did the queen knight him?

        Oh you could steal a song, you could take a CD from the your friend or a store. Or you could just make your own copy via the pirate bay and not steal anything at all.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2012 @ 9:28am

          Re: Re: Re: Who is this Lord Clueluess and why did the queen knight him?

          A CD is not a song. Just as a glass bottle is not soda. The difference is that if I take your bottle and drink the soda, you can't have your soda back.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    flores, 16 Jul 2012 @ 9:39pm

    ol

    as Billy explained I didnt know that a stay at home mom able to get paid $7613 in a few weeks on the computer. have you read this webpage NUTTYRich dotc om

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2012 @ 7:05am

    When a song gets stuck in your head, is that infringement?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]


In The Patent Battle Over Speech Devices, The Real 'Irreparable Harm' Is A Child Losing Her Only Voice
Olympics Can't Hire Enough Actual Security, But Fully Staffed With 'Brand Police'
Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

Friday

19:39 Important Announcement: Techdirt Is Migrating To A New Platform (0)
More arrow

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.