Friday, May 11, 2007

Osim oders YouTube to take down its iGallop Ad

On Wednesday, I received a DMCA notice from YouTube saying that one of the videos that I uploaded has been removed because of copyright infringement:
This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by OSIM International Ltd claiming that this material is infringing:

iGallop TV Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svYtD983qts

Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to avoid future strikes against your account, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube's copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.

If you elect to send us a counter notice, please go to our Help Center to access the instructions.

Please note that under Section 512(f) of the Copyright Act, any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification may be subject to liability.

Sincerely,
YouTube, Inc.
I originally uploaded the ad to accompany this post I did on iGallop. Actually, this is the second time I've received a DMCA notice from YouTube. The first was for a short clip of ESPN Sportscenter. Remember kids, do not upload copyright content ok.

Now back to some serious thoughts. I can't recall how many people have viewed the iGallop ad that I uploaded to YouTube but I think it has to be more than 40,000 people. It is definitely the most popular of all the videos that I uploaded.

I'm a firm believer of copyright laws. For example, I believe that when a TV show or a movie is being made available online illegally, the owners of the copyright should do all they can to make sure that the videos are taken down from the hosting site and they should also take legal action if necessary.

But I do think that companies should relax a bit when it comes to protecting their copyright. If I'm a marketeer for Osim, I would have been a fool to take down the ad on YouTube just because it violates my copyright. The ad is a hit. Why force someone to take it down since it has generated free advertising and thousands of eyeballs for your product? An ad is effective only when there are more people viewing it. More people viewing the ad means the more products you are likely to sell. What Osim did just doesn't make sense. It's stupid. Ah, but what do I know? I'm just a blogger.

Update: According to this picture taken from this post by Ben, the Osim ad that I uploaded was viewed more than 141,000 times, not 40,000 as originally stated above.

Update: Osim may have forced YouTube to take down this ad but you can still view the ad uploaded by others on YouTube and other popular video sharing sites.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

You meant the stupid ad where the girls were riding the iGallop looking like they were having sex rite?

:oP

Anonymous said...

both the dmca notices you received are rather stupid.

Anonymous said...

There needs to be a change in copyright laws and companies should learn how to adapt to how people are using the internet.

Anonymous said...

IZ: I really like your iGallop Supreme idea.

Anonymous said...

They should be happy that their ad is widely viewed on YouTube.

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

Oh dear! Zealous enforcement again!

Anonymous said...

it is a stupid move. having the ad on youtube doesn't harm them at all!

Anonymous said...

Haa! Ur second DMCA notice from YouTube!! So how many more before they strike off ur account? Hehehe.

Anonymous said...

They should thank you liao for uploading it to YouTube. So many people watch somemore.

DK said...

Don't know what are they thinking. Its free advertisment for them. And they asking you to remove it?

Remove lor. No big deal also. :P

Anonymous said...

It's not Osim's fault really. I think 90% of the companies out there still haven't come to terms with the openness fuelled by the Internet. They'd rather stick to their old gen. "trackable" marketing campaigns than experiment with the "idea virus" type opportunities provided by the Internet. Let them wallow in their own belief system.

Ivan said...

Looks like Singapore has yet to catch up with the idea of viral marketing.

Singapore Calamari said...

Probably because of your iGallop supreme that is associated with it, OSIM doesn't like it ?

None said...

It shows they fail to understand the advertising power, that blogs and free video sites can command.

two words:

they stupid.

denzuko1 said...

Its a marketing failure and they have removed most of this ad. So the more people look at the ad, the more they laugh at it, which in turn gives Osim a bad name.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Denzuko1. I'm assuming this is first generation ad of the igallop where some yankeeesque girls are riding suggestively on the product. From my understanding, many found the ad distasteful and sales have been affected because it gives the impression of their purchasers were horny women, hence the change for a more wholesome approach subsequently. It's not an issue with copyright per se, but rather with the company/product image. I think everyone jumping on the tirade against copyright should relook at the issue in a more holistic manner.

Anonymous said...

By taking the video off YouTube, OSIM has the decency not to shame Singapore with a product that looks like a desperate measure for sex-deprived people.

Way to go, OSIM!

kennysia said...

Tell me about it. When I did my spoof on their Osim uZap advertisement, they AVOID publicity by not replying to any attempts to contact them.

Is it any wonder they're going bankrupt now?

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