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YouTube Removes Hitler Parodies. Death of a Web Meme?
Sarah Jacobsson
Apr 20, 2010 8:59 pm
YouTube has recently begun removing videos that feature content from Constantin Films' 2004 film, Der Untergang ("Downfall"), despite the fact that many of these videos are parodies and thus cons ute fair use of the material.
The Downfall, or Hitler-parody, meme has been, arguably, a viral spat of publicity for Constantin Films in the past few years. The meme takes a now-infamous scene from the movie (the scene in which Hitler reacts to the news that Germany is about to lose the war) and puts satirical sub les over the action (the movie is in German). Hitler parodies have been made for everything from "Hitler finds out Tony Romo dumped Jessica Simpson," to "Hitler is Fired from Whataburger," to, more recently, "Hitler Responds to the iPad."
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), these videos are being removed because of YouTube's automated Content I.D. system, which allows copyright owners to disable any videos that contain its content--regardless of whether the videos may be legitimate because they contain other elements. Many of the parodies are still up, as YouTube's Content I.D. system is not perfect--but it's probably only a matter of time before the filtering system hunts them down and removes them.
Of course, the real question is: why? Why has Constantin Films chosen to suddenly claim copyright on these clips after six years--especially when the clips generate interest from parties who are otherwise unlikely to even look at the film (the film, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, was independently produced and is entirely in German). Certainly plenty of wayward YouTubers and Internet-goers have been driven to discover the source of the clips that provide them with so much entertainment. So, yes, you wonder why Constantin Films is suddenly putting the kibosh on this obvious stream of free publicity.
Even the director of Downfall, Oliver Hirschbiegel, thinks the parodies are funny. He told New York Magazine in January 2010: "Someone sends me the links every time there's a new one. I think I've seen about 145 of them! Of course, I have to put the sound down when I watch. Many times the lines are so funny, I laugh out loud, and I’m laughing about the scene that I staged myself! You couldn't get a better compliment as a director."
Some of Hirschbiegel's favorite parodies include the one where Hitler hears of Michael Jackson's death, and the one in which Hitler can't get Billy Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Lu ck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_ tickets--both of which have been blocked by Constantin's copyright claims. Hirschbiegel thinks the parodies are a good thing, too--"The point of the film was to kick these terrible people off the throne that made them demons, making them real and their actions into reality," he told New York Mag, "I think it's only fair if now it's taken as part of our history, and used for whatever purposes people like."
What Constantin Films should do is file a DMCA complaint--the DMCA files parodies under "fair use," so our beloved internet meme won't die--but will also protect Constantin Films from what (I assume) it actually fears--legitimate copyright infringement. Appropriately, I'll leave you with a Hitler parody created by the EFF's own Brad Templeton, in which Hitler discovers that parodies are being made and orders them taken down.
(http://www.pcworld.com/article/19464...ml?tk=rss_news)
- So no more ST parody?
People will always find a way. Have faith damnit, have faith!
I've yet to see (not that I've seen every single one) a Hitler parody from that movie that didn't make me laugh at least a few times. I like the Xbox Live one (Which the EFF video mentions). He called YouTube pussies, lol.
Someone should make a parody of the removal of the parodies
http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119815
It's gone.
Jaffies, tell me you still have the original somewhere.
On his birthday no less. Google is run by nazis.
If you follow the link in the OP, there's one at the end of the article (hosted on Vimeo).Someone should make a parody of the removal of the parodies
ridiculous, with all the other crap on youtube, THIS gets the ax?
That blows. It's a freaking parody machine, assholes.
With all the ing bull , misleading, and annoying videos on youtube...they take away the one thing that we can always count on for a little chuckle in the middle of the day?
Congrats to Constantin Films for killing the internet!
this is so stupid. i went and watched the real movie after i saw the parody, and it was damn good. they got so much advertisement out of the youtube videos.
You.
Bas s!!!!
well this was way overdone. I aprove
OMG
+1
Yeah, there were some funny ones, but there's only so many ways to spin the same joke before they all quit being funny.
It all depends on the context I guess.
I have seen a bunch of them, but the one that I related to most was the ST one, and of course I found that one the funniest.
Once you have seen a few of them, they do get old, but there are always some people who have never seen it.
Well, well, wellDPG
Then you have jaffies. Created one of the funniest videos on ST. Then you realize, wait, is Hitler really mouthing that? Because I have seen other videos where he looks the same, but is saying other, just as equally funny stuff? What happens if your browser can't play youtube videos or if Hitler decides to stop making videos? Then you are stuck with someone who does not know what to do.
Then you have me, who makes you laugh, but when it comes time to cast your vote, since you are so used to it that you have become numb to the laughter, you just think "oh, I will just go with the people making fluky jokes because I don't really want to think about it". I am just being honest and funnier than the guys I am supposed to be funnier than. This is not a knock on them, but what happens when I am not there to constantly fill the void? No one will be laughing then.
it's a shame, but great while it lasted
Funny, that is like the best post-DVD release advertisement for perhaps the best portrayal of Hitler ever put on film.
Way to kill the golden goose and be legendary internets s at the same time.
Maybe they just got butt-hurt that they were making fun of the movie. 2 years of international bullying is a long time.
I only saw Downfall because of the parodies though. Good movie.
Apparently they believe there is such a thing as bad publicity.
QED.I only saw Downfall because of the parodies though. Good movie.
Ummm, they are parodies.
The film makers have no grounds legally to claim copyright infringement. In fact industry are the ones breaking the law here.
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