[Updated] Konami Issues Copyright Claim Against Journalistic Video by Super BunnyHop

Published: May 11, 2015 1:22 PM /

By:


Konami

Update #2: Apparently the claim made against Mr. Weidman was removed by YouTube Themselves, due to the fact there was "missing information". What that means at this time is unclear.

https://twitter.com/superbunnyhop/status/597857120604688384

Update: George Weidman has posted on twitter in a series of tweets that the problem has been resolved, as seen below. It is still unclear what caused the claim in the first place, however, the video is now available for viewing.

Bunnyhop tweets

Konami hasn't exactly been winning over fans lately with some of their recent decisions as of late, and yet they've moved forward with whatever strategy they are attempting to execute regarding the future of their company. However, a new development regarding the saga regarding Konami has developed, as those who are fans of the YouTube channel Super BunnyHop are probably aware of now.

Super Bunnyhop has been making a variety of content regarding the gaming industry for a while now, and one of his latest video involves some communication and digging that he did regarding the unfolding situation of Konami and the fallout with Hideo Kojima and the Silent Hills project. Well, this morning, the video is unavailable due to a copyright claim made by Konami Digital Entertainment Co. Ltd as of this morning. As opposed to a Let's Play, the content in question was emails, commentary on information gotten by Super Bunnyhop, and speculation on what that information on what that means. It is unclear what content Konami has claimed violated the Digital Milennium Copyright Act within the video at this point.

The details behind the claim are unknown at this time.
The details behind the claim are unknown at this time.

I have reached out to George Weidman, the creator of Super Bunnyhop, as well as Konami for comment. At this time, neither side has replied, however it's only happened within the last couple of hours. As more information becomes available, I will update the story appropriately as I obtain more information.

Needless to say, there has been some controversy regarding YouTube over the last several years regarding the use of DMCA and copyright claims to censor criticism on YouTube. YouTuber TotalBiscuit was hit with a copyright claim by the developers of Day One: Garry's Incident, and YouTuber Jim Sterling was hit with similar claims against his criticism thrown at The Slaughtering Grounds. However, this incident in particular is slightly different due to the journalistic nature of the piece in question and it not focusing on criticism of games in question. It highlights what could be a potential abuse of the YouTube copyright system to silence critics. The closest comparison in terms of precident may be SEGAs handling of videos regarding the Shining Force series. However, due to the nature of this specific claim and the journalistic elements of it, this is most likely a whole new uncharted territory for critical gaming coverage with abuse of YouTube's DMCA system as censorship.

Once again, as more information becomes available, I will update the story appropriately.

Could a claim like this hurt future journalistic content within the YouTube space due to the possible abuse of copyright claims, or is it possible that there was a legimate reason for the claim and for it to be enforced? If you had watched the video created in question, do you believe that the claim was made to silence a critic?

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Shaun Joy TechRaptor
| Former Video Lead

YouTuber Dragnix who plays way too many games, and has a degree in Software Engineering. A Focus on disclosure on Youtubers, and gaming coverage in general… More about Shaun