Saturday 18 June 2011

Rebecca Black's 'Friday' controversy

Ark Music Factory was quick to issue statement regarding the removal of Rebecca Black's "Friday" music video from YouTube due to so-called copyright infringement issue. Fuming at the allegation, the company came to their defense, insisting that they didn't violate any guidelines and claiming their use of the video is fully authorized.

"We're disappointed, having been in good faith negotiations with Rebecca Black and her representatives for months regarding any open issues," said a spokesperson for Ark. "There's been an ongoing, open dialogue with our company. So we were blindsided to get a Take Down Notice - with no notice - alleging copyright infringement instead of a call or email from Rebecca's representatives."

"Our use of the video has fully been authorized (as evidenced by four uninterrupted months and 160 million-plus viewings without objection) by both Ms. Black and the copyright holder," the rep pointed out further. "Regardless, we are going to continue to take the high road and work out the complaint as soon as possible so that the million-plus people who watch Friday for free each day can continue to enjoy the video.

The statement from ARK’s spokesperson is as follows: “We’re disappointed, having been in good faith negotiations with Rebecca Black and her representatives for months regarding any open issues. There’s been an ongoing, open dialogue with our company. So we were blindsided to get a Take Down Notice — with no notice — alleging copyright infringement instead of a call or email from Rebecca’s representatives.”
The company also claims they have rights to the video. “Our use of the video has fully been authorized (as evidenced by four uninterrupted months and 160 million-plus viewings without objection) by both Ms. Black and the copyright holder,” the statement continued. “Regardless, we are going to continue to take the high road and work out the complaint as soon as possible so that the million-plus people who watch Friday for free each day can continue to enjoy the video.”
Finally, ARK ended their statement saying the company was “pleased to have been associated with Rebecca Black, and wish her continued success as she pursues her career,” and noting that company founder Patrice Wilson “discovered, defined, and delivered” the 13-year-old “sensation.”
Reps for Black have not responded to EW for comment, and Black herself has not yet written anything about the current controversy on her Twitter feed or her just-launched Facebook page.

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