Twitch Under DMCA Attack: Let's Talk Legalities (VL242)

The scourge of the mass, automated DMCA takedown notice has come to Twitch. But what is the law? How do game and music licenses influence that law? And just what should Twitch/Facebook/YouTube/Twitter/et al be doing about it? Reform is needed, both to the DMCA and to platform operations...in Virtual Legality. *Thumbnail Image from “Chess Tourney Help” - Twitch User "Fuslie" https://www.twitch.tv/videos/642272023 #Twitch #DMCA #Takedowns *** CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 3:08 Game Streaming and Infringement 7:20 Music Labels Come for Twitch 13:03 The DMCA (More Harm than Good?) 17:21 The Problem with Twitch's Guidelines 20:28 Takedowns and the Statute of Limitations 22:31 Terms, Music, and Putting Legal Compliance on Users 27:06 Licensing Music (Compulsory v Sync) 29:53 Copyright Office: Infringement Doesn't Need to be Real 34:45 Conclusion *** Discussed in this episode: "This week, we've had a sudden influx of DMCA takedown requests" Tweet - June 8, 2020 - Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) https://twitter.com/TwitchSupport/status/1269851779790929921 "How to Use Clips" Twitch Help Page https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/how-to-use-clips?language=en_US "Streaming, Copyright Infringement, and Fair Use (Virtual Legality #177)" YouTube Video - February 19, 2020 - Hoeg Law /watch/EOt3CrKsjTvs3 "ELECTRONIC ARTS USER AGREEMENT" Updated July 18, 2019 https://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/US/en/PC/ "Legal Jibber Jabber" Riot Games Legal Page - August 2018 https://www.riotgames.com/en/legal "Why are labels issuing DMCA takedowns on twitch clips?" Tweet - June 7, 2020 - Nightblue3 (@Nightbloo) https://twitter.com/Nightbloo/status/1269708365657038850 "Got a DMCA 2 more and my twitch account is permanently gone..." Tweet - June 7, 2020 - cloakzy (@cloakzy) Got a DMCA 2 more and my twitch account is permanently gone "About Account Enforcements and Chat Bans" Twitch Help Page https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/about-account-suspensions-dmca-suspensions-and-chat-bans?language=en_US "Digital Millennium Copyright Act Notification Guidelines" Twitch Help Page - Updated March 27, 2019 https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/dmca-guidelines/ "I’ve been issued 2 copyright strikes on my channel (both from clips over a year old) in the past week..." Tweet - June 7, 2020 - fuslie (@fuslie) https://twitter.com/fuslie/status/1269553773506002945 "WHAT WE DO" RIAA Webpage https://www.riaa.com/what-we-do/ "...DMCA has done far more harm than good online..." Tweet - June 7, 2020 - [Rod Breslau] (@Slasher) https://twitter.com/Slasher/status/1269660530303799298 "Limitations on liability relating to material online" 17 USC 512 (DMCA) https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/512 "The DMCA is very often abused to within an inch of its life, but “done more harm than good”?" (and comments) Tweet - June 7, 2020 - Richard Hoeg (@HoegLaw) https://twitter.com/HoegLaw/status/1269822027734683648 "Community Guidelines" Twitch Legal Page https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/community-guidelines/ "Limitations on actions" 17 USC 507 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/507 "Twitch DMCA Claims Frustrate Creators Forced To Delete Years Of VODs And Clips" Forbes - June 8, 2020 - Paul Tassi https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2020/06/08/twitch-dmca-claims-frustrate-creators-forced-to-delete-years-of-vods-and-clips/#6c8880ba3a46 "Terms of Service" Twitch Legal Page https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/terms-of-service/#10-respecting-copyright "Music Guidelines" Twitch Legal Page https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/community-guidelines/music/ "TLOU2: On Compulsory Song Licenses And Cover "Theft" (VL240)" YouTube Video - June 4, 2020 - Hoeg Law /watch/shEhJlcZ3aHZh "Exclusive rights in copyrighted works" 17 USC 106 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/106 "Copyright and the Music Marketplace" US Copyright Office - February 2015 https://www.copyright.gov/policy/musiclicensingstudy/copyright-and-the-music-marketplace.pdf "US Copyright Office: "The DMCA? It's Too Tough...On Sony/Disney" (VL233)" YouTube Video - May 24, 2020 - Hoeg Law /watch/UxEKvXZmF02mK "Section 512 of Title 17" US Copyright Office - May 2020 https://www.copyright.gov/policy/section512/section-512-full-report.pdf *** "Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law). CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE: /playlist/PL1zDCgJzZUy9YAU61GoW-00K0TJOGnPCo DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL. *** Twitter: @hoeglaw Web: hoeglaw.com Blog: hoeglaw.wordpress.com PODCAST VERSIONS ALSO AVAILABLE

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