This morning, WordPress informed me that they’d received a “valid DMCA notice”—as in Digital Millennium Copyright Act—notice about a Citigroup research report I posted here in February 2009. Until the issue could be “resolved”—meaning I acknowledged this grave offense against intellectual property—I couldn’t post anything to this blog. Once I said “Yes, Sir,” my posting privileges were restored. The document was, of course, deleted.
The report was an analysis of the Treasury’s proposed bank capital requirements in the run-up to the stress tests. Citi’s conclusion—and I think even the DMCA allows me to quote a phrase this brief from the doc—was that “the US government is following a relatively bank-friendly, investor-friendly approach.” So there you have it, just for the record.
Please file a quick note at https://www.chillingeffects.org/input.cgi about this.
The DMCA is being used to curtail legitimate analysis, critique, and public scrutiny, which is far beyond its intended scope.
By: Daniel Kahn Gillmor on September 24, 2010
at 12:33 pm
How lame that WordPress disables your entire account because of *one* DMCA notice. That would be enough to make me ditch WordPress as host, and move elsewhere. You can install the WordPress blog software just about anywhere.
I trust you will file a DCMA counterclaim asserting “fair use”. ;)
By: Colin Brace on September 24, 2010
at 2:17 pm
That’s why WordPress.org self-hosted blogs are better. You control it much more.
By: Bob Morris on September 24, 2010
at 2:18 pm
As someone who had his entire blog shut down with a saber rattling letter from ABC/Disney I would like to suggest that you give a call to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Ask to speak to Matt Zimmerman.
One of questions can be the posting of the document met the 4 requirements of fair use. If so, you have the ability to get the document up again.
Drop me a line at spockosemail at the gmail dot com and I we can talk about a response for the media.
By: spocko on September 24, 2010
at 5:01 pm
There are other was of getting this information out to the public.
By: Robert MacEwan on September 24, 2010
at 7:31 pm
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at 12:18 am
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at 10:53 am
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By: DMCA As Censorship: Citibank Doesn't Want You To Remember What It Said About Obama's Bank Reform Policy | Techdirt on September 27, 2010
at 12:32 pm