Sign the petition — Don't let FOX make it impossible to fight DMCA takedowns!
FOX stole a gaming clip, used it in The Family Guy and then issued a DMCA takedown on the original YouTube video (read more).
At the same time, lobbyists for the media industry are swarming the U.S. Copyright Office and demanding
an end to the counter-notice process that people can use to fight these unfair takedowns. Instead,
they want to force website owners to block all content they say is copyrighted (which is clearly often wrong).
Tell the U.S. Copyright Office: Takedown abuse is out of control. There should be strict penalties on false takedowns to protect fair use. Don't make the DMCA even worse by implementing a "staydown" rule that turns web sites into copyright cops!
The Internet flourishes because of all of the stuff people make and share. But, there's a force that has kept works off the Internet entirely,
making it so that there's a whole host of content that most us never get to see or hear. The current notice and takedown system for copyright
unnecessarily
allows for abuse. With the current DMCA rules, copyright holders can censor and takedown practically any online content,
just by saying that it infringes their copyright—no court order or oversight required. It's time to bring fair use back to the Internet.
The DMCA was created to help curb
piracy, but all too often it is abused to censor content with valid free speech or fair use rights. Video and music creators are having their
work taken down and their income stolen by big corporations who bet that nobody has the legal resources to challenge them. And even when people
successfully challenge a takedown and get their work restored, oftentimes there is lasting harm done to their reputation or income.
It's time to take a hard look
at the DMCA. A clear fix to the current system is to impose penalties on corporations who abuse the DMCA by issuing false takedowns.