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Pirating the Pirates

711 points · 405 comments · piotrgrabowski

  1. javcasas · · focus · HN ↗
    Kinda related, but I hate how the big studios go after old videogames and try to take them down. It looks like, in the future, this era will be called the "digital dark ages", not because all the stuff got lost to bitrot, but because all the stuff became illegal to own so that the studios could sell the new stuff again and again.
    1. giancarlostoro · · focus · HN ↗
      Not just that, but some fair use youtube channels like Digging the Greats:

      <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;@diggingthegreats&#x2F;videos" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;@diggingthegreats&#x2F;videos

      He intentionally samples less than 5 seconds iirc, and they still ding him, take all profits from the video, which took many many hours to create, and he cannot afford a lawsuit. It&#x27;s absolutely ridiculous.

      1. Telaneo · · focus · HN ↗
        Wait til you hear it&#x27;s (or at least was) possible to get dinged for 0.00 seconds.[1] That particular issue&#x27;s probably solved by now, since Youtube requires claims to include a time stamp showing where the problem clip is. Nevermind the fact that wasn&#x27;t a requirement to begin with. No wonder the corps ding every creator out there. It&#x27;s free money with no downside to them. Nevermind the fact they&#x27;re actively destroying culture.

        [1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;VvFGumd_esg?&amp;t=685" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;VvFGumd_esg?&amp;t=685

        1. giancarlostoro · · focus · HN ↗
          Honestly there should be penalties if you ding someone incorrectly, including paying their lawyer fees and an additional fee, plus all revenue stolen.
          1. Telaneo · · focus · HN ↗
            That kind of works with smaller players (a random thai TV channel dinging people incorrectly is probably going to get some sort of time-out, and even if not, going to court against a smaller player like that is probably within the realm of possibility), but the big players have too much leverage. If Sony gets threatened with even minor punishments, they can simply say &#x27;Fine. But then you have to remove all videos featuring gameplay from Sony Interactive Entertainment&#x27;s games, or else we&#x27;ll sue you for copyright infringement&#x27;. Even that example is fairly narrow and something that Sony is clearly allowed to do within the current bounds of copyright. They could go full nuclear and demand anything even vaguely related to Sony and its cultural hoard be taken of Youtube, and Youtube would have to comply, if nothing else, while the fight in court goes on.

            Youtube has very little leverage, and Google&#x2F;Youtube is very invested in not ending up in court over this kind of disputes, and the corps making claims know that.

            The only actual fix is reforming or abolishing copyright.

            1. pjc50 · · focus · HN ↗
              Some of the players are entirely fake! It&#x27;s a nasty little business model of socially harmful fraud that youtube are enabling.
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