Copyright collectors scraping the bottom of the barrel on YouTube

[David Pinnegar]

Hi!

On a daily basis I am getting notifications from my YouTube channel that GoDigital MG and another organisation are claiming that one or other of my videos of pre 20th century music contains "Musical Composition" of which they own the copyright.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cL8QDLv8vM feautures my younger son playing Couperin from a score printed by myself from an electronic file of Couperin's masses in the public domain.

Are other classical musicians being harrassed so by such companies exercising such absurdities with respect to pre-20th century music?

In the past week I have had to dispute such claims with respect to Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin and Schumann. Now Couperin!

Classical music needs as much encouragement and exposure that it can get. Copyright breaucracy is the reason why the Wigmore Hall prohibit performance of anything subject to the imposition . . .

Best wishes

David P

[David Pinnegar]

Hi!

GoDigital MG now think that Liszt is subject to copyright!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9gJnpX_IOk
Bach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHOcCLvUeH4
Either they or another "collecting society" thought that Reubke was too -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe_eJ60PmtM
and the Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society thinks that Schumann is 20th century:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngpKoX9hzWs

On http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLNd5osV_Bw

These content owners have reviewed your video and agreed with your dispute:
Entity: Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society Content Type: Musical Composition
Entity: Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society Content Type: Musical Composition
Entity: Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society Content Type: Musical Composition
Your dispute is still awaiting a response from these content owners:
Entity: GoDigital MG For a Third Party Content Type: Musical Composition

and these bodies should be prohibited from making vexatious claims.

How many people are these organisations harrassing?

Does it look as though these organisations are systematically trawling YouTube and relying on people not disputing their vexatious and wrongful claims? In view of the professional regard paid to these organisations, can one ascribe their actions to ignorance, negligence or is it worse?

Best wishes

David P

Best wishes

David P

[dragonser]

Hi,
for those interested there is more info at
<http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/youtube/thread?tid=00b9a7f269a6a61d&hl=en>

on a not related note ( or two  ! )
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJN4gCD1F34>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWdxOOllesw>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oRm1Dx5rDI>

regards Peter B

[David Pinnegar]

Dear Peter

Thanks so much for that research! It loks as though such copyright organisations are willing to be openly negligent possibly to the extent of fraudulent about their activities.

Not even Mozart escapes from copyright claims on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbgQsdZe3jo by Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society "Content Type: Musical Composition" whilst even though it's clearly a live concert orchestral recording Kontor New Media Content "Type: Sound Recording" are claiming advertising revenue from the video! Copyright revenue collection through YouTube is clearly a bandwagon worth being on, and worse, the illicit revenue generated funds these organisations to harrass musicians even all the more . . .

Perhaps we need to campaign politicians for a change in copyright law to cover copyright protection only for live composers and authors. . . .

Best wishes

David P

[matt h]

Hi

Was going to take the video camera when I go to practice tomorrow; don't think I'll bother now.  Yet another victory for bureaucracy over common-sense. 

Regards,
Matt.

[David Pinnegar]

Dear Matt

Just because there are people who want to turn earth into hell does not mean that one has to give up trying to influence it towards heaven. One must neither submit nor succumb . . . If doing a video is likely to spread enthusiasm for music and for the organ, it is what people need. . . .

Best wishes

David P

[matt h]

David

Sorry to sound so negative, just seems that there's always someone who wants to spoil the fun.
Out of interest, what are the "Copyright police" asking? Do they ask that the video be removed, or are they simply trying to collect royalties of some kind.  What is the procedure if you're caught out in this way?

Regards,
Matt

[revtonynewnham]

Hi

I had this issue with some Bach items I uploaded.  There is a link on the web page to dispute the copyright claim - and I note that the flags duly were removed.

For items that are in copyright (which I try to avoid uploading), the adverts provide a payment to the copyright holder (I fell into a trap with this on one of my Harmonium pieces - having failed to find any info on-line about the arranger when preparing the programme.  It transpires that he only died in the 1970's and hence the arrangements are still well within copyright.)

I suppose the problem is the number of people who routinely upload videos with soundtracks of recordings and the like - plus the dire state that the music industry is in for various reasons, that they want to make money by whatever means.

I read a while back that editors of otherwise public domain scores are now campaigning for a royalty when their work is used for performance/recording - I've not heard what's happened on that front.  The only safe way is to use only public domain scores (i.e. where editor/arranger/composer have been dead for 70 years or more) and your own performance, to avoid the equally complex minefield of performers' rights.

Every Blessing

Tony

[David Pinnegar]

Hi!

This morning I have notifications for Chopin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw8FjHvHu30
    Entity: Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society Content Type: Musical Composition
    Entity: AdRev Content Type: Musical Composition
and for Couperin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgS7Y_H6aKg
Entity: GoDigital MG For a Third Party Content Type: Musical Composition

Entity "AdRev" says it all - clearly an advertising revenue body with nothing to do with copyright.

These organisations must be deemed to know that Chopin and Couperin died before copyright can be applied to their works and that they are not collecting monies from their claims for anyone associated with the musical compositions whatsoever. This is looking to be no more than fraud and as yet publicly permitted theft. . .

Best wishes

David P

[David Pinnegar]

Out of interest, what are the "Copyright police" asking? Do they ask that the video be removed, or are they simply trying to collect royalties of some kind.  What is the procedure if you're caught out in this way?

Dear Matt

They are simply joining in on a royalties collection piracy bandwagon putting adverts onto the video from which they, and YouTube, benefit.

So they are hacking into the intellectual property of Couperin, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, Reubke and Schumann and relying on none of them being around for the past 150 years to to sue them . . .

YouTube's cooperation with these entities is a matter of disrepute and as a subsidiary of Google goes against the spirit of "Do No Evil" which was supposed to be at the heart of the company . . .

Best wishes

David P

[David Pinnegar]

Hi!

I had more pirate copyright hits on videos today - in particular one Baroque, from memory Balbastre, and the other for Guilmant who having died in 1911 is now out of copyright. . .

The answer to this whole matter is for video owners vigilantly to dispute claims and then set privacy to private so that then pending release of the false claim, the copyright bandwagon pirateers cannot profit from their sordid business and waste their time . . .

Best wishes

David P

[David Pinnegar]

Hi!

I have started to fight back . . . and on every video claimed by Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society I have disputed the claim giving the reason:

Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society  make false claims to all classical music, have no connexion with (composer) whatsoever and have no claim to rights to this video

Bandwagon copyright claimants are the ambulance chasers of the music industry and are the dead hand on the performance, encouragement and survival of classical music, unlike the 2 million "tracks" that the nightclub generation boast about being on their iPlayer, was composed and performed often for love, not money.

Best wishes

David P