FYI: Warner claims ownership over use of certain numbers on Youtube

[Mia]

Warner claims ownership over the numbers 36 and 50, and demonetizes Youtube videos that incorporate them.

Warner subsidiary Otter Media has a division called Fullscreen ("a social content company for talent and brands") that has been demonetizing Youtubers' videos that use the numbers 36 and 50 (and possibly other numbers, for all we know), claiming that their use of these integers is a copyright violation. Doing so allows Warner to steal the money that these Youtubers' videos would otherwise earn.

Youtube operates a filter called Content ID that allows rightsholders to automatically claim control over user-created videos that contain materials that are the rightsholders' copyrighted works. This system has no checks and balances and virtually no penalties for abuse, and users who complain can attract "copystrikes" -- three of these, and you lose your account and your videos, permanently, with no appeal.

Filter systems like Content ID are now mandatory for all types of online communications services in the EU thanks to last year's Copyright Directive, and, unfortunately, European lawmakers deliberately chose not to including protections from this kind of bad-faith censorship and theft,....

Warner claims ownership over the numbers 36 and 50, and demonetizes Youtube videos that incorporate them

 

[Aspychata]

That was weird to read....

 

[Judge]

This should make for an interesting challenge to the interpretation of existing copyright protections.

Deciding whether or not an integer can be construed as part of an original authorship. Maybe it can, maybe it can't. One thing for sure, think twice before using the numbers 0,0,and 7 commercially.

Imagine business entities scrambling to gain copyrights over millions of numbers, just so they can litigate over them purely for profit. Seems like an ugly precedent to allow to stand in a civil court of law, IMO.

But who knows? It may come down to context. One thing for sure, it's not as silly as it may appear.

 

[Misery]

That was weird to read....

Not so weird if you've spent enough time on Youtube.

Hah, or enough time with the gaming industry. There was one developer who tried to claim copyright over the word "candy" if used in either video games or, for whatever reason, clothing. And screwball exploit tactics on Youtube from nasty companies are VERY common. This one is pretty much typical. Yet another ultra-simplistic cash grab that had no thought put into it, because the automated system also had no thought put into it.

After all, Youtube prints money. The people in charge could sit in a corner and drool all day, and it'd still print money. They have no reason whatsoever to actually care. And those that DO care, the smaller workers, are usually not actually given the time or resources to deal with stuff like this.

 

[Voltaic]

they claim ownership of songs that are not even theirs. Would be bearable to handle if you tube customer support is only accessible through public outrage.

 

[Streetwise]

So what they are proposing is they own the English language I think they're better speak to the British who invented the language they're getting a bit above their self

 

[Crossbreed]

Imagine business entities scrambling to gain copyrights over millions of numbers, just so they can litigate over them purely for profit.

Dibs on 42!

 

[Mary Terry]

Ancient Mayans invented the concept of zero. I hope they filed for patent/copyright protection!

 

[Judge]

Then again I could see people litigating over the rights to the number "43".

Amounting to one big, yet Petty legal argument.

 

[Metalhead]

Dibs on 42!

As long as I get to make money off the number 420, I’m cool. I will trademark that number and make millions off stoner videos other people have created.

 

[Judge]

So what they are proposing is they own the English language I think they're better speak to the British who invented the language they're getting a bit above their self

English is one of the most bastardized languages on the planet. To claim you "invented" that particular language means standing in line with several other nations and cultures who no doubt have a similar claim. Not to mention that English itself continues to evolve...and often outside the borders of Britain.

English language - Wikipedia

Numbers have already been subject to copyrights. I suppose the real question is how broad this concept was intended to be and whatever context it may involve in the course of such rulings.

The three numbers "007" have great meaning on a universal- and commercial scale. Yet the number "32" may mean nothing to most people, except perhaps O.J. Simpson. Leaving Richard Petty to argue that he got there first over the use of "43", as opposed to George W. Bush. Then consider what "Yakuza" means in Japanese!

Sure, numbers can have great meaning. But should they fundamentally be copyrighted for it?

 

[Mia]

Sure, numbers can have great meaning. But should they fundamentally be copyrighted for it?

No, they should not.

 

[Wolfnox]

Dibs!!!!!!!!
Also Red Wolf standing by.

 

[Judge]

No, they should not.

Agreed.

If anything, the advent of the Internet dictates this truth. Where numbers next to names are not indicative of much of anything other than for identification purposes rather than any overt sense of notoriety, copyright or trademark.

Something that may occur online in the millions- maybe even billions.