Fans of Shane Dawson have labelled YouTube “spineless”, and Sony “hypocrites”, for abusing copyright law to take down Shane Dawson’s Blank Space parody video for being “too violent”.
Despite Sony’s recent public relations disaster regarding The Interview, and their complaints of “free speech” and “censorship” – Sony has hypocritically decided to use their considerable power to block material not to their liking.
Even, Taylor Swift, who recently praised the controversially homophobic Nash Grier for being “sweet” and “talented”, appears to have limits.
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Taylor Swift’s Management Abuses Copyright Law to Take down Content
It all began when Taylor Swift’s management decided that Shane’s Blank Space parody video – which includes his own music and lyrics – was not to their liking.
Shane Dawson posted a screenshot of an email from YouTube to Rian R. Bosak, Fullscreen’s head of network operations.
They wrote, “This was blocked by our Nashville office at the request of Taylor Swift’s management.”
Fans were confused why Shane was angry at Sony – but he confirmed that they did, in fact, send the takedown.
As you can see, Taylor and Sony’s main gripe with the video was its “violent” content – not the alleged copyright infringement. Copyright infringement was only abused as a means to remove the video.
Many of Shane’s detractors immediately blamed him for creating a “violent” video that “deserved” to be taken down. However, parody falls under fair use. Shane drew comparisons with The Interview, and Sony’s bloody assassination of a foreign leader.
YouTubers & Fans Support Shane Dawson
Fans immediately came out to support Shane, and even got #ShaneDawsonSony trending worldwide.
A host of YouTubers like Rebecca Black, German Garmendia (HolaSoyGerman), even Australian rival Freelee the Banana Girl came out to support him.
TheFineBrothers, who often get takedowns, fully supported his campaign. In fact, Sony decided to take down a “Kids React to Meghan Trainor’s All About that Bass” video recently after it painted her in an unflattering light.
Friend and fellow parody artist Bart Baker also knows all about takedowns – with his Lorde video causing outrage.
Taylor Swift’s Management Backpedals, Reinstates The Video
After a long wait, the video was eventually put back online.
This is a rare occurrence, as Taylor Swift’s “Taylor Nation” is notorious for throwing their weight around – even going as far as targeting individual fans.
However, the incident left a sour taste in Shane’s mouth, and he repeatedly mentions how much he “hates Taylor Swift” in various videos and podcasts.
Why Does YouTube Rarely Defend YouTubers against Frivolous Takedowns?
YouTube often takes the side of Hollywood and the music industry. Parent company Google needs Hollywood’s support to further encroach into the media distribution territory of rivals like Apple and Amazon.
Google even went as far as to support the MPAA by doubling down on anti-piracy efforts, which backfired spectacularly when they were back-stabbed.
It’s clear that YouTube is scared of upsetting Hollywood firms like Sony, who could pull their licenses at any moment.
Does YouTube care about its content creators? No. It’s all about the money.