Fair Use: Understanding Rights and Avoiding Legal Trouble
- Fair use is a fundamental protection for online speech, and falsely claiming copyright infringement to silence critics should carry serious repercussions. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argued this...
- the Waltham Community Access Corporation (WCAC), a public access cable station in Waltham, massachusetts, records city council meetings.
- Represented by EFF and the law firm Brown Rudnick LLP, Channel 781 filed suit against WCAC, alleging misrepresentations in the takedown notices.
EFF Argues Against Copyright Abuse targeting Citizen Journalists
Fair use is a fundamental protection for online speech, and falsely claiming copyright infringement to silence critics should carry serious repercussions. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argued this point before a federal court in Channel 781 News v. waltham community Access Corporation, a case defending citizen journalists against copyright abuse.
the Waltham Community Access Corporation (WCAC), a public access cable station in Waltham, massachusetts, records city council meetings. Channel 781 news, a volunteer group reporting on the city council, uses clips from these recordings-along with original content-on its YouTube channel to foster discussion on local issues like housing and transportation. WCAC responded by sending a series of Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices, alleging copyright infringement by Channel 781. This resulted in YouTube deactivating Channel 781’s channel days before a crucial municipal election.
Represented by EFF and the law firm Brown Rudnick LLP, Channel 781 filed suit against WCAC, alleging misrepresentations in the takedown notices. The lawsuit relies on a provision of the DMCA that allows those falsely accused of infringement to seek legal recourse.