YouTube Pranked Into Removing Justin Bieber's YouTube Channel

YouTube's copyright infringement policy has become notoriously strict, but this time they may have overdone it just a bit.

It seems a clever prankster was able to completely remove Justin Bieber's YouTube Channel from the video site last weekend, simply by making false DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) violation claims, according to WebPro News. The whole fiasco sent Twitter into a frenzy before the channel was restored.

But Bieber wasn't the only one hit. PC Mag reports that the false claim making user, who went under the username, iLCreation, also hit a number of other popular artists, including Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Bruno Mars.

Vevo, who runs the channels for Bieber and a number of other popular artists, quickly posted this statement following the take down, according to digitalmediawire:

Someone is making false copyright claims against the Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga channels and YouTube has blocked access to the videos as a result. We are working with YouTube to resolve ASAP.

The videos were still available through the Vevo site, as well as their app, though many did not reappear on YouTube for sometime.

Vevo posted this notice when the video came back to Youtube:

A few videos by Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga were briefly taken down by YouTube as a result of false copyright claims. This issue has been resolved.

YouTube's strict, almost automatic, take-down-upon-notice policy for copyright infringement made the whole stunt possible, according to Geekosystem. While the policy protects the site against copyright infringement claims, this does exemplify how easy it is to abuse the system. That said, it's unclear as to whether or not YouTube has made changes to its policy in regards to some of the larger accounts in the wake of this incident.

Comments

[Lordcron]

04:03 AM on 09/05/2011

Do they still have the correct Hit count?

[ChaCubed]

09:35 AM on 09/04/2011

sp mmer

[Danny22tree]

02:24 AM on 09/04/2011

FLAGGED
S PAM

[Danny22tree]

02:24 AM on 09/04/2011

FLAGGED
S PAM

[AudreyLee]

06:48 PM on 09/03/2011

I don't like him all that much, but yet here I am...reading the article. So I can't talk much of a mess about him because that would seem hypocritical. But, that iLCreation guy was a genius. But why'd he have to go after Bruno Mars??? Me encanta de Bruno Mars.

[Lordcron]

04:05 AM on 09/05/2011

So in your world a person you don't particularly like can have there rights violated as long as they don't violate the rights of a person you do like? Are we really reading you right here?!

[PenguinLinux]

07:52 AM on 09/05/2011

...and in other news, "Life Ain't Fair" - Film at 11 with a special followup titled "Get Over It."

[AudreyLee]

05:04 PM on 09/05/2011

Looks like it.

[Nic the wonder puppy]

05:59 PM on 09/03/2011

Bieber don't have and I do

[Bubba10]

11:44 AM on 09/03/2011

Who's the hot lesbian in sunglasses?

[ThinkCreeps]

09:10 AM on 09/06/2011

You wouldn't like her: she's really short and annoying.

[PenFighter]

11:31 AM on 09/03/2011

People who have been compiling videos of the events surrounding the Fukushima nuclear disaster have been fighting a constant battle against these false DMCA claims... for posting multiple clips from various news videos into a cohesive story, the very definition of Fair Use.

[No Yards]

11:05 AM on 09/03/2011

Wow, I don't listen to Bieber's music, but at least he's not as pathetic as the many weak minded Bieber haters who can't see through their hatred to look at the issue at hand ... namely how easy it is to have your content removed from Youtube under fraudulent circumstances.

Hopefully this will be a wake up call to Youtube that copyright claims taken at face value only hurt their business model, and stifle creativity ... I've heard Leo Laporte complain many times that Youtube takes some of his shows down because he plays a news clip or some other form of copyrighted material in a "fair use" situation for discussion purposes.

This corporate strangle hold on the use of our culture for pure profit has got to be stopped.

[LucMee]

10:21 AM on 09/03/2011

Youtube is notorious for how easy it is to get someone booted off. It only takes three complaints filed a week apart and whomever you have a grudge against loses their channel. There is no recourse... Unless of course you're a big timer. Easiest way to get your content removed? Negatively criticize someone's video.

[darkday]

10:09 AM on 09/03/2011

Justin Bieber is the biggest star in music history. Never seen the world go so crazy over a pop star.

[ifihadlegs]

02:50 PM on 09/03/2011

Uhh... ever heard of The Beatles?

[Evan Joseph Ringle]

09:31 PM on 09/03/2011

He recently beat the Beatles most bought singles record.

[p8q2b8ng]

01:36 PM on 09/04/2011

"over a pop star"
The Beatles were a band.

"The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960."
First line of wikipedia. Notice how it says "rock band" and not "pop star".

With that said, The Beatles did play a mix between pop and rock music.

The Beatles were also quite talented and revolutionized (the change most likely would have happened without them though) music. They were the first to do what they did in many aspects, while Justin Bieber hasn't done anything (that I have heard of) new in respects to music.

[bloggomatic]

08:53 AM on 09/03/2011

Haha!! Well done!! I hope he was doing it to make a statement about how people file unnecessary claims:p

[NihilisticDissent]

08:15 AM on 09/03/2011

This kid is so full of it, his music is nothing but rehashing of old beats and riffs. The lyrics consists of maybe five words that constantly repeat. Bieber is nothing more than a record industry created drone to funnel them more money.......constantly saying "oh baby" is not singing talent. His vocals are severely processed almost to the point that it is not even his real voice.

[No Yards]

10:57 AM on 09/03/2011

That's hardly the point of this issue. Try to keep up.

[murphthesurf3]

08:08 AM on 09/03/2011

Why so much hatred toward this kid here?

He has a decent voice. He plays five instruments, self taught. His music is positive. He seems a nice guy. He has been generous with his time, name and money. He is well liked by his staff.

He is a "pop" hit and his star will likely fade. Is he young looking and sounding? Yes, which is what tweens love. Old enough to be a temptation and young enough not to be threatenin­g. It is a familiar profile.

Reading many of the comments here it is clear: Justin is growing up faster and better than many who heap scorn on him.

[peegan]

11:10 AM on 09/03/2011

I am way too old to be a fan of his music, but those that brush this kid off as a no talent 15 minute wonder are in for a surprise. The kid has talent, drive and determination. A properly guided career will enable him to be around a long time.

[murphthesurf3]

11:42 AM on 09/03/2011

I am 61 and can only take the word of the kids in my life that Justin is worth their time. But I ended up watching the video he did on one of his concerts at Madison Square Garden in the company of a bunch of 11-13 year olds. They loved him and I was impressed with his level headedness and the legitimate efforts to let the kid be a kid. AND equally impressive is Justin's willingness to accept authority. It felt real to me.

[Evan Joseph Ringle]

09:37 PM on 09/03/2011

Me, as a 13 year old male, will give you my opinion why I don't and like him.
Why I like him:
He plays five instruments like you said. I've seen him play drums. He's great.
He's talented.
Why I don't like him:
He lets the Record Companies control him. Once you let the Record Company tell you how you talk, how you dress, what you sing, you sell out. Because you're not a musician anymore. You're a marketing scheme.
But what do I know, I listen to Zeppelin, The Clash, Nirvana, all that good stuff. So my comment is very biased. And It's "Pop Stars" like him that keep my youth brainwashed, never being able to understand poetry, literature, classic cinema, or a basic debate on our world. For me, it's living in Oceania, and Beiber is Big Brother.

[murphthesurf3]

01:04 AM on 09/04/2011

Interesting comment and I thank you for sharing it.

Fav'd.

[PenguinLinux]

08:00 AM on 09/05/2011

"He lets the Record Companies control him. Once you let the Record Company tell you how you talk, how you dress, what you sing, you sell out. Because you're not a musician anymore. You're a marketing scheme."

2 words - "Recoupable Expenses"

The recording of the music, the marketing of it, (including the videos, printed material, etc) are all paid for upfront by the record label and then those expenses are later (hopefully) recouped by the record label. Expenses get paid off first, then the profits (if any) are split up. If the artist tanks, the record label writes off the expenses as a loss.

It's the Music BUSINESS, it's not personal. Making art is personal, selling it is business. If I were to loan you $5 million, you'd bet your a** I'd want it back plus some. I want an ROI.

[UncleMandingo]

05:49 AM on 09/03/2011

Sob sob, Leave Justin alone!!! sob sob