A case of corporate influence

By Brian Rowe · July 11, 2008

I just received an email that has me a little upset.

A while back, I started posting game trailers on YouTube, with the HG logo attached. These are videos distributed by publishers for the purposes of being exhibited around the internet. A few of them have done quite well. The trailer for Naruto: Ninja Destiny has done especially well and is up to 7,000 hits. This video is the subject of the email.

IDG, which owns such publications as PC World, GamePro, and Games.net, has a problem with my video. They filed a copyright claim against me. While there is no lawsuit involved or any legal actions, it gives IDG the ability to view my traffic info and even advertise on my account space.

What really gets me is that I have no recourse to do anything about it. IDG is one of the big boys, so it automatically gets its way. Never mind that the video was handed out to the press and can be seen on countless other sites.

Comments 5

bluberry Jul 11, 2008

no recourse at all? that's the sort of thing that makes my fucking nuts rupture with rage.

have you emailed the company who made/published the game?

sashanan Jul 11, 2008

I've never posted anything to YouTube, but know plenty of people who have - it seems almost universally agreed upon that in cases of alleged copyright infringement, even baseless, YouTube prefers to err on the side of screwing over the user.

EmP Staff Jul 12, 2008

What is it they actually want to do? Have the video taken down or slap their own ads on top of it?

Either way, they don't have a leg to stand on. We're given these trailers directly from the publishers, not from them or any of their sub-companys. They hold as much copywrite on Naruto as McDonalds do.

honestgamer Staff Jul 12, 2008

Sometimes a publication or company is given exclusive rights to a particular trailer, or it creates a trailer of its own. Provided you didn't go to a site such as GamePro.com and grab such a clip, there's absolutely no way they have any case here (especially since the same clip will be circulating on a LOT of professional sites not owned by IDG Entertainment and they would have no way to prove that you took it from them instead of the publisher directly). I'm confused as to why they would even file such a complaint.

espiga Jul 12, 2008

Because they suck cocks.