MegaUpload In Battle With Universal Over Artist Suport Video

[GhostShip]

Universal Music has just received a writ for claiming a video with many popular artists on endorsing Megaupload is breaching their copyright, Megaupload of course claims copyright of the work and also claims to have the written permission from all of the features artists, they do repeatedly mention the name of the file hosting site in the video so one wonders why anyone would think they are not endorsing it.
 
See the video here with the first part of the story:

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/legal-and-management/kanye-west-diddy-will-i-am-more-participate-1005654362.story

In one of the stranger endorsements we've seen in recent months, a battery of superstar artists - including Kanye West, Diddy, Snopp Dogg, Will.I.Am, Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, Chris Brown, Jamie Foxx and more -- have participated in a song and expensive-looking video/commercial endorsing MegaUpload, a storage locker site that the RIAA has lambasted for piracy.

The song -- which is driven by a plucked acoustic guitar and a catchy, chanted "May-gah" chorus -- finds the artists rapping or singing the praises of the service and its quick and easy file-sharing service.

And read here for the rest :

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/william-megaupload-kim-kardashian-p-diddy-272414

Late last week, a surprising music video was released that featured many superstar recording acts and other celebrities endorsing Megaupload, a video-hosting website that is near the top of the enemy's list for many in the entertainment industry. The video soon was removed from YouTube after a takedown notice was sent, prompting Megaupload to sue Universal Music for copyright misrepresentation.

I have the impression here that many of the stars did a quick endorsement video (which they consented to)that someone then chopped up and added music to it creating a catchy promo that maybe their labels got upset over as it may have been seen to contravene their exclusivity agreements between them and their artists, however the copyright of the final product will still remain with Megaupload as they produced the work not UMG, lets watch how this plays out as making a false takedown request is against the law in the US.

[GhostShip]

UPDATE:

Judge orders Universal to explain legal basis for its usage of fraudulant DCMA takedowns.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/12/judge-gives-umg-24-hours-to-explain-takedown-spree.ars

On Monday, Megaupload—doubtless relishing the opportunity to play copyright victim—filed a lawsuit in federal court against UMG for misuse of the DMCA takedown process. UMG, it said, is "abusing the DMCA takedown mechanism to chill free speech they do not like." It asked the court to declare that Megaupload had the right to post its video and to restrain UMG from submitting any more takedown notices.

But UMG apparently continued its takedown campaign, targeting an episode of Tech News Today that included a clip from the video in its coverage of the controversy. The host, Tom Merritt, says he filed a counter-notice under the DMCA, but as of Wednesday evening the show had not been restored. Under the DMCA, it will take 10 days for the video to go back up. "In 10 days a daily news show is worthless," he told the Verge, "so Universal was able to censor this episode of Tech News Today."

A federal judge has given Universal Music Group until the end of the day Thursday to respond to charges that it abused the DMCA takedown process to censor a promotional music video by the locker site Megaupload.

Lets see how Universal get themselves out of this, making a false claim in a DCMA document is a criminal offence.

[Will]

UMG claims "right to block or remove" YouTube videos it doesn't own
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/12/umg-we-have-the-right-to-block-or-remove-youtube-videos.ars