John McCain’s presidential campaign is protesting YouTube’s video-removal policy, which has resulted in the deletion of some political advertisements the campaign believes are perfectly legal and protected by fair use.
In a letter (PDF) sent to YouTube CEO Chad Hurley and company attorneys on Monday, the campaign charges that « our advertisements or Web videos have been the subject of DMCA takedown notices regarding uses that are clearly privileged under the fair use doctrine. » The DMCA is, of course, the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act that allows copyright holders to submit takedown notices.
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But more broadly, the campaign has a point; YouTube seems a bit too eager to remove political videos. The McCain camp’s solution is to ask for a « full legal review » of videos posted by political candidates and campaigns before they’re automatically removed. Another solution? If you don’t like the neighborhood, move. Nobody’s forcing them to stick with YouTube.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10066510-38.html