Copyright Enforcement Irony: Lord Finesse stops Dan Bull's video on YouTube

I had to be post this one in support of Dan Bull who you would have seen in various features on these pages via his own work, some kind of MJM collaboration or in the old 'lab off' section.

The following text is by Fruzsina Eördögh on ReadWriteWeb

"In an ironic twist, YouTube has honored a request by hip hop producer Lord Finesse to remove a video in which Dan Bull, a songwriter, rapper and YouTube satirist, criticized the producer's own copyright abuses.



The subject of Bull's video (no longer available on YouTube) was Lord Finesse's $10 million lawsuit against up-and-coming indie rapper Mac Miller, who sampled Finesse's 1995 hit "Hip 2 Da Game" in his 2010 track "Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza."





However, a substantial part of the musical track to which Finesse lays claim is actually from Jazz musician Oscar Peterson's 1971 recording "Dream of You."

Bull did not mince words in his video schooling Lord Finesse: "Unauthorized sampling and remixing are an integral part of hip hop culture," Bull pointed out in the track. But that lesson is not in the Digital Music Copyright Act textbook. Over the weekend, Finesse's lawyers issued a copyright claim requesting that YouTube remove the clip.

In an eight-minute video about the takedown uploaded Sunday, Bull notes that no other videos sampling "Hip 2 Da Game" or "Dream of You" - not even Mac Miller's - were issued copyright claims. Given the availability on YouTube of other videos featuring content to which Lord Finesse could potentially lay claim, Bull says "this makes it even more clear that my video wasn't targeted for copyright reasons, but because it highlighted the hypocrisy of the lawsuit."



Copyright laws in both the U.K. and U.S. make an allowance for "fair use" for the purposes of commentary or parody. Bull claims that his work qualified, as it was clearly both a parody and a commentary of Lord Finesse. Bull maintains he is legally (and morally, given hip hop's history of appropriating pre-existing music) right in this situation, and that Finesse abused copyright law to censor him.

DMCA abuse is common given YouTube's automation of copyright claims. The Google-owned site does not manually check for copyright infringement of the 72 hours of content uploaded every minute, so it simply agrees to take down contested clips. This automatic response, however, is easily co-opted by anyone from pranksters to angry ex-boyfriends eager to remove anything they desire, be it Justin Bieber's music or embarrassing angry voicemails.

Normally when a video is removed due to a DMCA request, the uploader can file a counterclaim, although YouTube warns that counterclaim issuers must be "prepared to face a claimant in court." In his follow-up video, Bull says that he has yet to issue a counter-claim because "frankly, I am a bit scared," given Finesse's $10 million lawsuit against Mac Miller.

Meanwhile, Web citizens angry at what they see as censorship on the Internet have taken to spreading Bull's message, an example of the Streisand effect. To date, Bull's "Michael Moore style" follow-up video of the DMCA takedown has been viewed 70 thousand times. In multiple Reddit threads - including one which hit the front page - audience members encourage Bull to sue Finesse, even offering him help by crowdfunding his expenses. "There needs to be a legal precedent set for cases like this to avoid future copyright claim abuse to censor the Internet," wrote redditor and Machinima partner zBAWB.

On YouTube, dozens of users have taken to reuploading Bull's removed video as an act of protest. "The whole point of reuploading this is to show that we won't stand for that kind of bullshit censorship and misuse of copyright law," wrote uploader oppstoppersnopp. "Dan has done nothing wrong, Mac has done nothing wrong, and we're doing nothing wrong. We won't be silenced."

Dan Bull - Dear Benny [an open letter to the Pope]

For more on the subject see the BBC iPlayer for this weeks (13th September) Panorama

Joey G-Zus - Cartoon Hip Hop Vol​.​3

Dan Bull - Changes [ an open letter to David Cameron ]

Dan Bull - Glaciers

Dan Bull - Election Debate Rap Battle

Dan Bull - Dear Auntie (an open letter to the BBC)

Written and performed by Dan Bull
Produced by Zaheer

Download the mp3 @mediafire

Follow the campaign @www.love6music.com

Sign the petition @www.petition.fm/petitions/6musicasiannet

Dan Bull @twitter
Dan Bull @facebook
Dan Bull @myspace

Zaheer @twitteer
Zaheer @facebook

LYRICS...


Dear Auntie Beeb,

Don't take away our radio. We need a place - a place to go, where we can play our favourite shows. Don't take away our radio.

When I first heard the word about BBC 6 I thought, "this is absurd, is the BBC sick?" It rocked the airwaves enough to keep me seasick, but it's the first to get sunk - can we believe it? And I thought pirates were meant to be the problem, but obviously not 'cause your lot's already got some. Doctor, doctor, what's your option; what are you going to drop from the roster to cost cut?

The Asian Network plays the best work of a strain of the nation that strains to get heard, and now you're severing the nerves of a massive demographic. It's not a very clever tactic, is it? The last bastions of unsigned action, independents depend on it for traction. Ask Lamacq or Bobby Friction for his reaction - my prediction isn't one of satisfaction. Do the maths, it's a simple subtraction: take away the stations and you chase away the talent.

Listening figures isn't your biggest purpose, it's first and foremost to provide public service. I'm not saying other stations are worthless, but adverts are adverse and make me nervous. We deserve to have a say in what we'd like to see - I mean after all, we pay the licence fee.

Don't take away our favourite shows. Don't take away our radio. Don't take away our favourite shows. Don't take away our radio.

You need to appeal to the people that feel John Peel, and want to keep it real. So please, pretty Beeb, we appeal for a new deal - we'd be pleased if the spiel was repealed. D.B. sees what's needed to escape from the danger zone: more DAB radios in the nation's homes. The audience is there, they just need connecting, in the same way your arrangement needs correcting.

Next thing on the list that's vexing bloody everybody is you spending money like it's never ending. Even a yellow bellied Teletubby could tell us it's crazy, Laa-Laa; Lady Gaga. Pay me half of what you pay to Clarkson - I'll be laughing like I can't keep a straight face, straight up. If there's a budgetary deficit to make up, then wake up and give Big Jeremy a pay cut.

Don't take away our favourite shows. Don't take away our radio. Don't take away our favourite shows. Don't take away our radio.

There's enough talent out here for like forty channels, but we only get to hear the top forty sellers. You're running it like Basil does to Fawlty Towers - literally - ask Andrew Sachs, he could talk for hours about how he was pushed about as Manuel, then Johnny Ross and Russell Brand did it as well. Man, Johnny Rotten wouldn't slag the living Hell out of an old man's grandkid on his cell. Well, if Russell Brand and the six million dollar man are the cream of the crop then you can hang the DJ.

* Radio 1 - sweet for teenagers
* Radio 2 - great if you're really ancient
* Radio 3 - for those of a refined taste
* Radio 4 - all talking and giant brains
* Radio 5 - only sport fans are tuned in
* Radio 6 - it's the music we're losing

Don't take away our radio. We will complain until you know it's a mistake - I'm afraid so. Don't take away our radio.

CLICK THE 'DAN BULL' TAB FOR MORE OF HIS MUSIC

Dan Bull - Rap-up 2000-2009

Dan Bull - Dear Lily [an open letter to Lily Allen]

Dan Bull @myspace

Diggaz Love Lab Off's pt2 - 'Quadraflip'

Gadge hosted a Lab Off for producers @ http://diggazlove.blogspot.com/ & http://www.ukhhf.co.uk/ :

So this time producers had 4 tracks of different genre ( Classical, Jazz, Soul, Prog Rock) thanks to Suicyde and Don Blake for taking time out to dig these up.

Producers could have taken parts from one, combined them, as well as used additional sounds from vst's, synths and even other samples. But the main sample had to have come from at least one of the four tracks provided.


Deadline: was Sunday 23rd August 2009

THOSE WHO SUBMITTED WERE AS FOLLOWS...


Louisunseen
Dwella
Wizard
Dan Bull
Bare Rob
Dilligent Fingers
Baron Samedi
Don Blake
Gadget


Download the 4 samples

Download the entries

Diggaz Love Lab Off's pt1 - 'Pieces Of 8'

Gadge hosted a Lab Off for producers @ http://diggazlove.blogspot.com/ & http://www.ukhhf.co.uk/ :

All producers involved we given 8 samples to cut up and make a beat out of them. All names are listed in teh Video.

BEATS WERE TO BE AT LEAST 2 MINUTES

THOSE WHO SUBMITTED WERE AS FOLLOWS...

Skully Bug
Dwella
Dilligent Fingers
Bare Rob
Dan Bull
777
Tritone
Baron
Louisunseen
B (The Specialists)
Micky Dangerous
Ian E
Wizard
R (The Specialists)

Download the 8 samples

Download the entries

in full or stream the beat snippets below

who are YOU feeling?

Dan Bull - Safe

"Safe" is a very fitting title for this one as it's quite the treat and you're in very 'safe' hands with a Dan Bull project. This is a very easy and soothing listen and I believe that this is one of the most well rounded artists you'll come across. Mr Bull holds down all of his own productions, he sings, plays the Guitar and he raps with such an ability that to simply say "he raps" leaves me feeling like I haven't told the whole truth.
I highly recommend 'Summer' which is one of my all time favorites from this artist.


UK residents can mail order the album on CD for £5 [free p&p] at Freshnut/Shop/
If you live outside the UK, you'll be able to mail order CD copies in the very near future from:Dan Bull @CD Baby
Download the album for free in mp3 format [128 kbps] at Megaupload

Dan Bull @myspace