Topline
Resulting from false copyright claims, YouTube took down — after which reinstated, with an apology — the radios of in style YouTube streaming channel Lofi Woman, a well-liked music channel that broadcasts enjoyable hip hop music its subscribers say they hearken to whereas learning.
Lofi Woman’s hottest stream amassed 668 million views earlier than YouTube took it down.
Key Information
Lofi Woman relaunched its channels at midday ET on Tuesday, two days after YouTube eliminated the radios because of copyright takedown notices.
The document label “FMC Music Sdn Bhd Malaysia” issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, takedown of Lofi Woman’s streams, in line with a screenshot of the discover Lofi Woman tweeted on July 10.
On Monday, a YouTube spokesperson responded to Lofi Woman’s tweet, confirming the “takedown requests have been abusive” and terminating the claimant’s account.
The takedown sparked broader on-line criticism — together with 3,500 tweets underneath the hashtag #BringBackLofiGirl — of YouTube’s copyright strike insurance policies, the place three legitimate DMCA complaints in 90 days ends in account termination.
Critics have emphasised that dangerous actors can weaponize the coverage by falsely reporting movies they need taken down.
All through the takedown, YouTube customers left feedback on the now-defunct stream expressing their gratitude for the net neighborhood Lofi Woman’s stream has created by means of music and the in-stream chat perform.
YouTube didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Huge Quantity
20,843. That’s the size, in hours, of Lofi Woman’s steady music livestream earlier than YouTube took it down. Though a brand new stream has began, the unique video nonetheless shows YouTube’s “This stay stream recording isn’t obtainable” discover.
Key Background
Lofi Woman is much from alone, as any content material proprietor can difficulty a DMCA takedown in the event that they declare their content material was printed on-line on any platform with out their permission. The system is a part of a United States copyright regulation that Congress handed in 1998. Within the years since, the variety of copyright claims has exploded. As early as 2016, Google — which owns YouTube — stated it handles roughly two million copyright takedown notices per day.
And with the expansion of the content material creator business, YouTubers who rely on the platform and its adverts for revenue have repeatedly known as for change. Even for Lofi Woman, this weekend’s takedown was the channel’s third, following incidents in 2017 and 2020.
Essential Quote
“We’re shocked and disillusioned to see that there is nonetheless not any sort of safety or handbook evaluation of those false claims,” Lofi Woman posted on Twitter Monday. “On the finish of the day, it was fully out of our management, and the unhappy half is that there was no strategy to enchantment beforehand/stop it from occurring.”
Tangent
Lofi Woman’s avatar, which is an animated depiction of a woman listening to music whereas writing an essay, is impressed by the protagonist of the anime movie Whisper of the Coronary heart. Over time, she has expanded right into a beloved web presence and is usually the topic of cosplays and Halloween costumes.
Additional Studying
YouTube eliminated in style ‘Lofi Woman’ streams after it obtained false and ‘abusive’ copyright claims (Enterprise Insider)
YouTube Apologizes for Eradicating Iconic Lofi Woman (Vice)
YouTube says it would reinstate Lofi Woman’s livestreams after false copyright declare (NBC)
YouTube channels are being held hostage with false copyright claims, however the platform’s fingers are tied (Enterprise Insider)
YouTube’s copyright declare system abused by extorters (BBC)
