YNGWIE TRIES TO STOP THE INTERNET FROM CALLING HIM FAT

This is pretty crazy if it’s true, but I can’t say I’m surprised; Yngwie Malmsteen is using copyright infringement as an excuse to force YouTube into pulling down videos that poke fun at his weight.

From a forum thread written by YouTube user “adam02” on Ultimate Guitar:

Yngwie malmsteen, has issued a DMCA copyright infringement takedown notice against a video I recently uploaded on youtube, as a result YouTube automatically remove the video and email you that it’s been removed: You are essentially guilty until proven innocent. Which is unfair.

Now here’s the real clincher! All the video contains is a recording I made of my right hand drawing a cartoon image of Yngwie Malmsteen in my room. No music apart from a cheesy silly intro which I made.

It doesn’t take an experienced solicitor to realise that there is no copyright infringement going on whatsoever. Here is a thumbnail from the video: you be the judge!

If we’re to take this at face value (and I can’t see any reason not to), there’s absolutely no copyright infringement happening here; Yngwie (or his manager) is just pissed someone’s having fun at his expense. The more accurate claim for Yngwie to make against the video would have been libel — painting a negative image of someone via any kind of broadcast media or published work — but I’m almost certain that satire is not considered to be libelous (at least in U.S. law… otherwise guys like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert would’ve been sued into oblivion years ago).

In an update to the forum thread issued two days later, adam02 vowed to fight the frivolous copyright violation claim and posted an “Awareness Video” re-capping the whole situation. Two days after that, this past Saturday, Yngwie’s management company had that video pulled too!

Someone’s got their panties all twisted up, and his name rhymes with “Sting Ray.” I say we all retaliate by sending Yngwie’s management company a bunch of emails with pictures of donuts attached.

-VN

Thanks: Seamus