YouTube-dl has received a DMCA takedown from RIAA

[panzer]

"... The clear purpose of this source code is to (i) circumvent the technological protection measures used by authorized streaming services such as YouTube, and (ii) reproduce and distribute music videos and sound recordings owned by our member companies without authorization for such use ..."

https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2020/10/2020-10-23-RIAA.md

https://www.zdnet.com/article/riaa-blitz-takes-down-18-github-projects-used-for-downloading-youtube-videos/

YouTube-dl mirrors, front-end GUI, forks and alternatives:

https://gitee.com/mirrors/youtube-downloader

https://git.pickysysadmin.ca/FiZi/youtube-dl-fuckriaa

http://abf-downloads.openmandriva.org/ytdl/

https://mrs0m30n3.github.io/youtube-dl-gui/

https://github.com/plredmond/yt-download

https://www.jwz.org/hacks/youtubedown

https://source.netsyms.com/Mirrors/youtube-dl

https://gitlab.com/PoroCYon/youtube-dl

[wraith808]

For more on how they found out:

https://octodon.social/@KitsuneAlicia/105085774214181683

[Dormouse]

How is it a surprise that the RIAA are taking down a streaming app they have not specifically allowed? They've been doing this for decades. And while I might dislike the RIAA, as a copyright holder, I'm all in favour of copyright holders' right to close unapproved access to copyrighted content.

[Deozaan]

For more on how they found out:

https://octodon.social/@KitsuneAlicia/105085774214181683

[attachment 1 not found]

Who are "they"? And it seems kind of random for that person to accuse Google of doing the takedown.

[Shades]

I have less problems with the artist claiming copyright than corporations that are copyright holders claiming their rights. Also, copyright should never last more than 25 years. After that period, public domain forever. Anyone should have an opportunity to make money of their creation, if they wish to do so. But 25 years is ample time to do so, for anything and everything. To my knowledge that is the actual principle behind copyright.

[rant]
What the lawyers of copyright holders (with the allowance of government) have turned the whole copyright system into....that isn't fair to anyone, except the recipients. The purpose of an artist is to create, not indefinitely getting payed for a thing they managed to pull of all those many years ago. Only results in only a few getting richer and a creative laziness. In no other profession this type of behavior is allowed.

It should actually be the rule that after the artist passed onto whatever realm they believed in, their work becomes automatically public domain. No exceptions allowed. Collected taxes are spent on enabling artists to do their thing. Or, at least, a platform is provided for. So, you pay through taxes, if you like the work of the artist, you purchase it in one or more forms and now you also need to pay the copyright holding corporation for every time you want to play it/use it or whatever.

At some point enough money (for one product/song/painting/art) is transferred to the copyright holder. And if community funds, like taxes have been involved in any way or form during the creation of the piece? Public domain, after 25 years or passing of the artist(s). Whatever comes first. You (the general public) are already getting fleeced at least twice. And with tax support, public domain in a reasonable period is implied. Else, just stop diverting community funds to enable artists.

Culture has become as expensive as it is, because of the greed that copyright holders (usually corporations) think they are entitled to.

Greed and entitlement, what could go wrong.....
[/rant]

[ConstanceJill]

Public domain, after 25 years or passing of the artist(s). Whatever comes first.

Maybe not, as some psychopaths might want to kill the artist just so they don't have to wait 25 years to use one of their works.

[Nod5]

How is it a surprise that the RIAA are taking down a streaming app they have not specifically allowed?

I wouldn't describe youtube-dl as a streaming app. It also does not circumvent DRM. AFAIK it merely makes it more convenient to do what anyone can already do manually.

This short twitter thread explains how this is not a DMCA takedown, which means Microsoft/GitHub could have acted differently.
https://twitter.com/xor/status/1319755776043384838

Some are playfully protesting via git at the GitHub DMCA repo
https://github.com/github/dmca/tree/416da574ec0df3388f652e44f7fe71b1e3a4701f

[wraith808]

For more on how they found out:

https://octodon.social/@KitsuneAlicia/105085774214181683

[attachment 1 not found]

Who are "they"? And it seems kind of random for that person to accuse Google of doing the takedown.

They, being the group maintaining the repo.

How is it a surprise that the RIAA are taking down a streaming app they have not specifically allowed? They've been doing this for decades. And while I might dislike the RIAA, as a copyright holder, I'm all in favour of copyright holders' right to close unapproved access to copyrighted content.

This is what they want you to think.  The case for it is actually more nuanced.

The RIAA’s fraudulent attack on youtube-dl is not a DMCA §512 infringement/safe-harbour, and the reality is weird

TL;DR:  This is not a 17 USC 512 infringement/safe-harbour, RIAA’s standing is highly questionable, it is threatening a member for an averred nonmember’s §1201 injury, any actual works duplication is not performed by youtube-dl’s developers directly, nor is the work itself or its test suite an infringement of RIAA / members copyrights, and numerous defences exist for routine use or incidental transmission or copies made by developers, hosting services,or others. Further, youtube-dl, digital and information liberties groups, Microsoft, and Google/Youtube should fight the RIAA’s claim.

[panzer]

yt-dlc is back on Github:
https://github.com/blackjack4494/yt-dlc

[wraith808]

Interview with former youtube-dl maintainer (he received a C&D even though he no longer works on the project) - https://news.perthchat.org/youtube-dl-removed-from-github/

[panzer]

youtube-dl - a copyright-respecting fork of youtube-dl:
https://github.com/l1ving/youtube-dl

[wraith808]

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/software/angry-youtube-dl-users-flood-github-with-new-repos-after-takedown/

The Streisand Effect at work!

The funniest one is the fact that someone posted a commit to github's official DMCA repo using an exploit which Github had declined to fix.

[panzer]

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/software/angry-youtube-dl-users-flood-github-with-new-repos-after-takedown/

The Streisand Effect at work!

The funniest one is the fact that someone posted a commit to github's official DMCA repo using an exploit which Github had declined to fix.

Look at pull requests:
https://github.com/github/dmca/pull/8148



Github's CEO is pissed:
https://torrentfreak.com/riaas-youtube-dl-takedown-ticks-of-developers-and-githubs-ceo-201027/

He tried to reach devs on IRC, nobody believed him that he really is a CEO:
https://www.twitter.com/t3rr4dice/status/1320660235363749888/photo/

[panzer]

GitHub Warns Users Reposting YouTube-DL They Could Be Banned:
https://torrentfreak.com/github-warns-users-reposting-youtube-dl-they-could-be-banned-201102/

[wraith808]

GitHub Warns Users Reposting YouTube-DL They Could Be Banned:
https://torrentfreak.com/github-warns-users-reposting-youtube-dl-they-could-be-banned-201102/

Github Probably Doesn’t Want to Suspend/Ban Anyone
The new comments from Github’s Corporate Counsel seem designed to serve as a reminder to people who want to protest on Github itself. While dissenting commentary isn’t under any threat of a response, it appears – reading between the lines – that Github hopes people won’t continue to risk their accounts on the platform by reposting material that will only have to be taken down.

If such content is repeatedly taken down by the platform, then Github’s repeat infringer policy will need to be considered under law and as history has shown, that either ends badly for users or for platforms themselves, there is no real middle ground.

[Tuxman]

youtube-dl is back on GitHub now. Now my work on yaydl feels like a waste of time. 

[panzer]

youtube-dl is back on GitHub now. Now my work on yaydl feels like a waste of time. 

Just insert sth in it that shouldn't be there and put it on Github so you are going to get DMCA as well.

Repos for yaydl are going to start popping up on the net ...

You are going to be famous ...

[Tuxman]

Good idea, actually. But the relevant problem might be that I need more users first, because right now nobody would even care.

[wraith808]

Good idea, actually. But the relevant problem might be that I need more users first, because right now nobody would even care.

I tooted on Mastodon about it, and a couple of people boosted it.  Not sure how many people actually came here to download though.  I like the fact that it doesn't have external dependencies, personally, even though it really doesn't matter with youtube-dl since I already have Python on my machines.

[Tuxman]

Ah, thank you then. Yes, the external dependencies were one of the reasons why I chose Rust, to be honest.

[Shades]

youtube-dl is back on GitHub now. Now my work on yaydl feels like a waste of time. 

For me the tool proved useful and handy. Whichever way you decide to go with this project of yours, I will keep using it until YouTube changed so much that it doesn't work anymore.

If you do decide to decide to stop, perhaps it could be a consideration to open source it. It is a no-nonsense piece of software, which works as advertised. Simple and to the point, exactly how I like software to be. And I know, you'd wish I was the same when writing posts like these. 

In all seriousness, yaydl is a much better name for an application than youtube-dl.

[Tuxman]

If you do decide to decide to stop, perhaps it could be a consideration to open source it.

It has always been open source and it will always remain, no matter how I continue with it.
(*cough*)

It is a no-nonsense piece of software, which works as advertised.

For a limited set of videos, admittedly.

Simple and to the point, exactly how I like software to be. And I know, you'd wish I was the same when writing posts like these. 

I do. 

In all seriousness, yaydl is a much better name for an application than youtube-dl.

I learned too late that there were earlier projects with the same name, the most famous one ten years ago. Anyway, I won't change the name. Too lazy.