• Tweet

Japan-based company behind the copyright claim; Fans protest move.

A precursor to the much-controversial SOPA/PIPA law? Not quite.

A Japanese media company is allegedly claiming copyright over the user-uploaded videos of  the voice synthesizer Vocaloid, prompting  fans to post an English request to contest these claims.

Media Interactive Ltd. is claiming copyright to all English-language videos made on Youtube made by the free-source and free-licensed software developed by Yamaha and Crypton Future Media.

Because of these, all of those videos were deleted from the Google-owned video-sharing site.

Fans were outraged by the alleged “illegitimate action” of Media Interactive that they posted a letter to all English speakers to contest these takedown requests.

“Someone who doesn’t like Hatsune Miku getting popular in the world is deleting her high ranked videos with English titles on it by making fake reports that the videos are infringing a copyright. We don’t know who is doing this. The series of these acts may be caused by organized group(s). It is under investigation by Miku fan volunteers…” the site Save Miku said.

“To all Vocaloid fans, Let’s get her back. Don’t give up. “, it ended.

Media Interactive was also known for allegedly removing a video of Lady Gaga appearing on Japanese Television on her own official YouTube page, prompting YouTube to suspend the official Lady Gaga account.

SOURCE: Nico Nico News through Yaraon! via Anime News Network, Crunchyroll News