Tech
YouTube says purring kitty video is violating music copyrights
by Tyler Munro
February 12, 2015
YouTube’s copyright algorithm can be needlessly aggressive sometimes, and I’m not just saying that because it nuked that weird video I made in high school.
Case in point, it nailed a video of a cute kitting purring its little heart out this week with a copyright claim, saying that it used “music” owned by EMI Publishing and PRS.
The video, which features YouTuber Digihaven’s cat Phantom purring on an hour loop, had been live for nearly a year before the digital video behemoth’s robots took issue with it. YouTube says the 12-second loop violates the copyright of a song called “Focus.”
The video wasn’t taken down, but the mistake is still incredibly peculiar. Worse, the copyright claim prevented Digihaven from monetizing the clip.
“I’m sure EMI/PRS made Phantom a sad kitty,” he told Torrent Freak.
No doubt. And Kitty wants to get paid.
“Phantom is currently independent, but looking to sign on with an indie label,” said Digihaven. “Phantom’s lawyer filed a complaint, looking for 10 lbs of catnip in damages.”
