DragonForce Hit with Bullsh*t Copyright Strike on Their Own YouTube Page
Ask any content creator on the internet and they’ll tell you the same thing — navigating copyright law as a layman can be a bitch. But there are some things that happen that just don’t pass the fucking smell test and what’s going on with DragonForce‘s YouTube page just goes to show how broken that platform’s become.
DragonForce guitarist Herman Li took to social media just moments ago to share his frustration over a copyright strike that the band’s page received on their own fucking video. According to screenshots and information provided by Li himself, a copyright claim was made by someone named Gary B. George for the song “Valley of the Damned.”
The video is simply the Valley of the Damned album art with the eponymous song playing over it and it’s been on the platform since October 9, 2022. Yes, some dickhead on the internet with massive brass balls filed a false copyright claim against a video that’s not even theirs and has been online for nearly a year.
For those not in the know, a copyright strike is bad news for any YouTube page, as the company implements a three strikes in a 90-day period and you’re out approach. Basically, if a channel gets three strikes, the entire page is removed. As it stands, just this video is flagged for removal, which YouTube says will happen in 13 days.
According to Li, YouTube Support told him that there’s nothing they can do, nor can DragonForce file a counter claim, since it’s a third party claiming to own the video’s contents. Rather than cancel the takedown request, they forwarded him to some lawyers that might be willing to fight the case on the band’s behalf. And the only action the band can take is to just delete the video forever, as you can see in the second image below.
Oh and this isn’t a ploy by some asshole to claim any monetization that could result from ads on the video, which is a common tactic among copyright shysters. No, this was a strict takedown, which makes it seem like this was an attempt to take down the music for… no reason? Maybe a grudge? OH! Maybe someone in the band boned this person’s significant other?!
Honestly, I’m just trying to grasp at straws as to why a) someone would do something like this to an artist or band and b) why YouTube allows this sort of stupid shit to happen on their platform. Too many bands and artists use YouTube to promote their work, but if this sort of thing can happen to anyone for zero reason, then who knows what will happen next?
As Twitter user @MENSANurse so astutely put it, “if they can do this to a huge artist as Dragonforce, imagine what they can do to smaller acts on the platform.”
