Air Force lawyers send DMCA notice to YouTube

The Air Force's law-firm has sent an illegal DMCA take-down notice to YouTube, demanding the removal of a publicly available video promoting its Cyber Command project. Material produced by federal agencies is not copyrighted -- cannot be copyrighted, by statute -- so there's no basis for the Air Force's representatives to swear (on penalty of perjury, no less!) that this video infringed its copyright.

It's cyber war! Lawyers representing the Air Force's elite electronic warriors have sent YouTube a DMCA takedown notice demanding the removal of the 30-second spot the Air Force created to promote its nascent Cyber Command. We'd uploaded the video to share with THREAT LEVEL readers.

Link (via Wendy Seltzer)

[#1 posted by mdhatter , March 8, 2008 9:24 AM]

It's copyrighted because we say it is! Maggot!

[#2 posted by bts , March 8, 2008 9:27 AM]

The US Government can own copyrights, just like they can own land or tools. The direct works for hire of government employees aren't copyrighted, but the government often issues contracts for production of works by others. The contractors then deliver the work and the copyright in the work. In this way, the U.S. Government ends up owning copyrights.

[#3 posted by noen , March 8, 2008 9:29 AM]

Since when has the rule of law meant squat to this administration?

Cyber Command mission statement:

"The aim is to develop a major command that stands alongside Air Force Space Command and Air Combat Command as the provider of forces that the President, combatant commanders and the American people can rely on for preserving the freedom of access and commerce, in air, space and now cyberspace."

Yeah riiiiight.

[#4 posted by Takuan , March 8, 2008 9:37 AM]

what are they going to do? kill you?

[#5 posted by sg , March 8, 2008 10:01 AM]

You still think perjury is a crime? How... quaint.

[#6 posted by Takuan , March 8, 2008 10:07 AM]

only if the little people do it

[#7 posted by macemoneta , March 8, 2008 10:32 AM]

Intentional Streisand Effect?

[#8 posted by romwell , March 8, 2008 12:03 PM]

#7, "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."

[#9 posted by semiotix , March 8, 2008 1:38 PM]

Since when has the rule of law meant squat to this administration?

Never, but there's absolutely no reason to believe there are any Bush administration politics involved here, or that boneheaded contract lawyers looking to run up billable hours would be acting any differently under any other president.

[#10 posted by Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator , March 8, 2008 2:06 PM]

Semiotix, the right wing has made significant inroads on the Air Force. It's a pity; the Armed Forces used to be proudly neutral about politics.

[#11 posted by noen , March 8, 2008 3:15 PM]

I think you are partly correct Semiotix. Government corruption predates Bush but... he has sort of left a permanent mark.

[#12 posted by Takuan , March 8, 2008 3:36 PM]

well, they are saying he's quite worried about his legacy

[#13 posted by zuzu , March 8, 2008 4:15 PM]

Government corruption predates Bush but... he has sort of left a permanent mark.

the Mark of the Beast?

[#14 posted by pacman , March 9, 2008 6:05 PM]

most air force videos are made by the 75th MSG out of hill AFB utah. meaning they are made by the airforce. but the key point i would like to make is that most videos in the military fall under the category of FOUO " For Offical Use Only", or higher eg. classified, secret, top secret, making them off limets to such public domains as youtube and the likes

[#15 posted by Jeff , March 10, 2008 5:49 AM]

The poor Air Farce. What a bunch of brats.

[#16 posted by Immortal Ping , March 10, 2008 7:31 AM]

actually, it's called Operation "How To Cyber Command A Lot Of Views On Youtube" and it's a major success.