I uploaded a 5 minutes long clip from a Star Trek Enterprise episode, as illustration of a remarkable and to me memorable scene about a healthy way to deal with racism, and my attached extensive commentary on that topic in the video description, that I later extended into the comment section. (video title: “A wise way to approach racism (Star Trek: Enterprise)”)
This should qualify for Fair Use, and it should also be in everybody’s interest to keep it accessible for several reasons, among them for advertising a good show and for educating the public about racism. But, a long time since I uploaded the video, now it got blocked worldwide.
On one hand, I have ads disabled on my channel, but on the other hand this is quite a clear signal that my channel is non-commercial, AND as I said, this is covered by Fair Use.
Now here comes the usual crappy Youtube situation:
If I decide to dispute the claim, I cannot comment on that or ask whether it would do to modify its appearance or such. I can only tick a checkbox, which basically seems to start a legal process, which could end up in a pissing contest between laywers. Youtube states that if a claim is not valid, it will result in a copyright strike on the channel. But who decides whether it is valid, if I can’t even briefly explain my position? Not justice, not right, but a legal battle. Because, even if I was a lawyer myself, even a copyright lawyer, and was 100% sure that said video is covered by Fair Use, I would still have no guarantee whatsoever that I don’t get a strike on my channel. There’s no reasonable negotiating in this process. Automation equals dehumanization. And this is the often-criticized Youtube policy of encouraging corporate intimidation.
Nice implied statement about your views on racism there, CBS. Really skillful! And wonderful timing!
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