Uploaded September 2008 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
I present three examples of the DMCA being wrongfully used for censorship on Youtube. In each example, Youtube took down videos in response to false DMCAs without doing ANY investigation whatsoever.
1) Therealweeklynews had put up a video in July urging Youtubers to boycott Viacom.
youtube.com/watch?v=GJbCWJNQUYI
*SOMEONE* pretending to be Viacom, sent Youtube a DMCA complaint demanding that the video be taken down.
youtube.com/watch?v=Y5FHwuHVPsY
It turns out that Viacom was not the one who sent in the complaint, and whoever did send the complaint committed perjury by falsely claiming that they had a copyright interest in the video.
The DMCA complaint came from an email address that Viacom doesn't use. This should have tipped the folks off in Youtube's copyright office that the complaint may be bogus. After all, they have received DMCA complaints from Viacom before. In fact, in February 2007, they received 100,000 complaints from Viacom:
themaskedanalyst.com/Viacom%20Dragnet.htm
Yet despite the fact that the complaint against the realweeklynews didn't come from the email address used by Viacom, Youtube took down the video.
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2) This is not an isolated incident. My account was suspended for four months after Perjury Boy complained about a video by Firefly515 that I hosted on my channel. Anyone who watched the video would see Firefly515 was BEGGING people to host his video on their channels. Yet it took Youtube four months to restore my account.
You can read more about my suspension here:
themaskedanalyst.com
This is the video that I hosted and that Youtube suspended me for. Pay close attention between 2:40 and 3:20.
youtube.com/watch?v=dtKXb2UrNeI
My correspondence with Youtube's copyright department reveals just how little they cared about my wrongful suspension.
themaskedanalyst.com/Correspondence%20with%20Youtube%20Legal.htm
3) MyRealityBytes made this video entitled "Renetto's Toy" featuring a toy manufactured by Zizzle LLC.
youtube.com/watch?v=rke953hXAVw
*SOMEONE* filed a DMCA claiming to be from Zizzle and claiming the "Renetto's Toy" video infringed on their copyright. It turns out, this was a totally bogus DMCA and Zizzle did not file it.
youtube.com/watch?v=0w-40gouGH8
Two other incidents are worth mentioning and may influence your opinion of how Youtube's copyright office carries out their responsibilities.
A user named Thoughtblock stole five videos from Sheldonwh. Sheldonwh sent a DMCA notice to Youtube demanding that the videos stolen from him be taken down. Instead of removing Thoughtblock's stolen videos and closing Thoughtblock's account, Youtube suspended the account of Sheldonwh—the rightful copyright owner of the videos!
youtube.com/watch?v=UrugUOD_82I
Youtube did eventually do the right thing by restoring Sheldonwh's account and removing the stolen videos. However, thoughtblock's account has still not been suspended.
youtube.com/watch?v=zFLyK1F6pQU
youtube.com/user/thoughtblock
2) LiberalViewer had four videos removed because Viacom DMCAd them. LiberalViewer believed that they fell within Fair Use, so he sent Youtube DMCA counternotices to get them restored. The DMCA required Youtube to restore the videos upon receiving the counternotices if they do not receive notice from Viacom that they were suing LiberalViewer. But Youtube's copyright office did not know this, so LiberalViewer had to teach them the basics of how the DMCA worked.
themaskedanalyst.com/LiberalViewer.htm
liberalviewer.com/YouTubeDocs/LiberalViewerExplainsDMCAtoYouTube.html
And now some Praise for Youtube
Mark Bunker (Xenutv and Xenutv1) had been suspended in April 2008 and restored in June after filing counter DMCA notices. The story of his previous suspension can be seen here.
youtube.com/watch?v=5yKqhGKq1_U
youtube.com/watch?v=1GYy0OFESAI
Someone got Mark Bunker's account and the accounts of many other Scientology critics suspended again a few days ago. Hundreds, possibly thousands of anti-Scientology videos were removed in the last few days. The DMCAs came from a company called "American Rights Counsel LLC" No such company or organization can be found and it is presumed to be a front organization for a Scientologist.
youtube.com/watch?v=c5-DahPt2Jc
youtube.com/watch?v=4uszfjLlKNk
A mass cry went out to Youtube and Youtube restored Mark Bunker's account as well as many of the wrongfully removed videos within a day. Youtube should be congratulated on this. Does this signal a change in policy, or merely an incident of Youtube reacting to a very high profile case?
I present three examples of the DMCA being wrongfully used for censorship on Youtube. In each example, Youtube took down videos in response to false DMCAs without doing ANY investigation whatsoever.
1) Therealweeklynews had put up a video in July urging Youtubers to boycott Viacom.
youtube.com/watch?v=GJbCWJNQUYI
*SOMEONE* pretending to be Viacom, sent Youtube a DMCA complaint demanding that the video be taken down.
youtube.com/watch?v=Y5FHwuHVPsY
It turns out that Viacom was not the one who sent in the complaint, and whoever did send the complaint committed perjury by falsely claiming that they had a copyright interest in the video.
The DMCA complaint came from an email address that Viacom doesn't use. This should have tipped the folks off in Youtube's copyright office that the complaint may be bogus. After all, they have received DMCA complaints from Viacom before. In fact, in February 2007, they received 100,000 complaints from Viacom:
themaskedanalyst.com/Viacom%20Dragnet.htm
Yet despite the fact that the complaint against the realweeklynews didn't come from the email address used by Viacom, Youtube took down the video.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) This is not an isolated incident. My account was suspended for four months after Perjury Boy complained about a video by Firefly515 that I hosted on my channel. Anyone who watched the video would see Firefly515 was BEGGING people to host his video on their channels. Yet it took Youtube four months to restore my account.
You can read more about my suspension here:
themaskedanalyst.com
This is the video that I hosted and that Youtube suspended me for. Pay close attention between 2:40 and 3:20.
youtube.com/watch?v=dtKXb2UrNeI
My correspondence with Youtube's copyright department reveals just how little they cared about my wrongful suspension.
themaskedanalyst.com/Correspondence%20with%20Youtube%20Legal.htm
3) MyRealityBytes made this video entitled "Renetto's Toy" featuring a toy manufactured by Zizzle LLC.
youtube.com/watch?v=rke953hXAVw
*SOMEONE* filed a DMCA claiming to be from Zizzle and claiming the "Renetto's Toy" video infringed on their copyright. It turns out, this was a totally bogus DMCA and Zizzle did not file it.
youtube.com/watch?v=0w-40gouGH8
Two other incidents are worth mentioning and may influence your opinion of how Youtube's copyright office carries out their responsibilities.
A user named Thoughtblock stole five videos from Sheldonwh. Sheldonwh sent a DMCA notice to Youtube demanding that the videos stolen from him be taken down. Instead of removing Thoughtblock's stolen videos and closing Thoughtblock's account, Youtube suspended the account of Sheldonwh—the rightful copyright owner of the videos!
youtube.com/watch?v=UrugUOD_82I
Youtube did eventually do the right thing by restoring Sheldonwh's account and removing the stolen videos. However, thoughtblock's account has still not been suspended.
youtube.com/watch?v=zFLyK1F6pQU
youtube.com/user/thoughtblock
2) LiberalViewer had four videos removed because Viacom DMCAd them. LiberalViewer believed that they fell within Fair Use, so he sent Youtube DMCA counternotices to get them restored. The DMCA required Youtube to restore the videos upon receiving the counternotices if they do not receive notice from Viacom that they were suing LiberalViewer. But Youtube's copyright office did not know this, so LiberalViewer had to teach them the basics of how the DMCA worked.
themaskedanalyst.com/LiberalViewer.htm
liberalviewer.com/YouTubeDocs/LiberalViewerExplainsDMCAtoYouTube.html
And now some Praise for Youtube
Mark Bunker (Xenutv and Xenutv1) had been suspended in April 2008 and restored in June after filing counter DMCA notices. The story of his previous suspension can be seen here.
youtube.com/watch?v=5yKqhGKq1_U
youtube.com/watch?v=1GYy0OFESAI
Someone got Mark Bunker's account and the accounts of many other Scientology critics suspended again a few days ago. Hundreds, possibly thousands of anti-Scientology videos were removed in the last few days. The DMCAs came from a company called "American Rights Counsel LLC" No such company or organization can be found and it is presumed to be a front organization for a Scientologist.
youtube.com/watch?v=c5-DahPt2Jc
youtube.com/watch?v=4uszfjLlKNk
A mass cry went out to Youtube and Youtube restored Mark Bunker's account as well as many of the wrongfully removed videos within a day. Youtube should be congratulated on this. Does this signal a change in policy, or merely an incident of Youtube reacting to a very high profile case?
