I had uploaded a great compilation of videos I took for the recent UP Open match of Blake vs Federer. Apparently the United States Tennis Association has banned the use of this content on YouTube. This kind of censorship I can’t understand. I have always had a problem with organization’s “right” to retain usage and distribution of live entertainment or shows, even if the content is not for commercial or for-profit use. Yes, I took pictures and video of the tennis match however, in reviewing the USTA’s terms of use, there is no mention of use of material taken at the event for personal or non-commercial use. Therefore their request is over reaching.
Even bigger problem I have is that the USTA’s view on this censorship does not benefit them in the slightest. In fact any promotion of the USTA and its events should be considered positive in that Tennis is not a very popular sport in the US and promotions of such events would only result in spreading the excitement and viewership of the sport to only USTA’s gain.
Unfortunately, the USTA does not want me to promote the sport and thus they are only hurting themselves by blocking the use of my personal video of the match. Quite unfortunate, I think I’ll just play golf now…
Below is the message I received from YouTube, and I will repost the video shortly.
Dear Member:
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 United States Tennis Association claiming that this material is infringing:
Blake vs Federer US Open 2006: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaOXwsPWAGU
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.
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