YouTube’s automated — and somewhat zealous — copyright infringement system has struck again, this time close to home. Popular channel “Dash Cam Owners Australia”, responsible for the compilation videos that appear frequently on Gizmodo, has been annihilated after a large number of “bogus” claims were made against its clips.
A sad post a few days ago on the channel’s official site explains its sudden — and wholly unfair — disappearance from YouTube:
Our videos were reported by a Person named Vitaliy Kushvid (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoFTSOCjg5IHfFXGH3_esQA) Which appears to be a fake account. The videos they reported ranged from our Monthly compilation to our review of the DOD LS470W Dash Cam (Which was recorded entirely by us using all our own content).
Image: Dash Cam Owners Australia
The post goes on to say the “claims themselves are bogus”, though more than enough for YouTube’s copyright robot to pull the trigger and dismiss the channel.
Fortunately, there is some light at the end of the tunnel (that isn’t a semi-trailer). DCOA has “launched counter claims”, with the end result hopefully being the channel’s reinstatement.
How long the process will take is anyone’s guess, with DCOA suggesting it could be “weeks to have the channel brought back, if it is at all”.
A pretty crappy act by this “Vitaliy Kushvid” character. Thanks for being a complete tool.
[Dash Cam Owners Australia, via Reddit]