RE: The letter to Take2 Games!
Okay so I just received an email back from Take2 and here is what they had to say:
****,
we just started using an outsourced service and they have pulled down some third party vids that should have stayed up, including official IGN vids. if you forward the youtube notice to me at this address, I will respond to them that it was an error. Your "record" will be cleared and the vid wlll be reposted.
best regards,
****
**** *. *****
Vice President & Associate General Counsel
Take Two Interactive
622 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
Ph:***-***-****
Fax: ***-***-****
Email: *
Dear Take 2 Games,
I recently posted a few videos of gameplay from the game GTA IV. These gameplay videos were available for download from http://www.ign.com/ and as such, I uploaded them to the video site http://www.youtube.com/ . These videos had no mark of copyright and any information on not republishing them anywhere else. My latest video http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=NUG7g7PJq_Q was claimed to be copyright infringement on my behalf. This removal from the site resulted in my permanent deletion from YouTube.
This video was orginally made by IGN.com, whom has had no problem with their videos being uploaded to YouTube. The video was watermarked with IGN's logo as well as being created by IGN. What I would like to know is why this video had a copyright claimed on this video and not any of the other videos uploaded by me and other users. Rockstar's legal notice says this on their site:
All Online Services material, including, but not limited to, text, data, graphics, logos, button icons, images, audio clips, video clips, links, digital downloads, data compilations, and software is owned, controlled by, licensed to, or used with permission by the Company and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property rights. The Online Services material is made available solely for your personal, non-commercial use and may not be copied, reproduced, republished, modified, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way, including by e-mail or other electronic means, without the express prior written consent of the Company in each instance. You may download material intentionally made available for downloading through the Online Services for your personal, non-commercial use only, provided that you keep intact any and all copyright and other proprietary notices that may appear on such materials.
I am uploading these videos for no means of commercial use and I only wish to share these videos with other people. How is my uploading of these videos infringing on the company's copyright? They in no way harm the company, in fact they help to advertise the games release. I am a 16 year old, so I may not know as much as the lawyers, but I think that it is unfair for this to happen to me. We are in a age of digital distrubution and I want to be a part of it. YouTube is a site that I regularely upload videos to, they are videos that I like to share with others. I have no intention of causing harm to Take 2 Games or Rockstar, I only wish to get people excited for a game that will do very well.
Thank you for your time in listening to my concerns, I would grately appreciate someone to contact me about this issue.
Sincerely,
Andy Bewernick (ilikemonkeys2)