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A Fake Nintendo Lawyer is Scaring YouTubers, and It’s Not Clear YouTube Can Stop Him
Nintendo, the Japanese gaming giant, has long been notorious for its aggressive pursuit of intellectual property infringement on platforms like YouTube. However, a new development may have taken their tactics to an unprecedented level.
Enter Tatsumi, a mysterious figure who claims to be an authorized agent for Nintendo of America Inc., and is using this supposed authority to terrorize YouTubers. According to multiple creators, including Russ Crandall, aka Retro Game Corps, Tatsumi has been submitting false copyright claims on their videos, leading to strikes and even channel shutdowns.
But here’s the catch: it appears that YouTube itself is not doing enough to prevent or address this type of abuse. While Nintendo has a history of being ruthless in its pursuit of infringers, it’s unsettling to see the platform so easily accepting false claims from a single individual – especially one who may not even exist.
As The Verge has learned, Tatsumi’s methods are eerily simple: they just claim to be an authorized agent for Nintendo and send a standard copyright notice. No evidence or proof required, no verification process necessary. And yet, YouTube seems to be relying on the word of this mysterious individual alone.
This lack of accountability has created a toxic environment where creators can’t trust the platform to protect them from harassment and abuse. “Every idiot can strike every YouTuber,” writes one creator in a statement to The Verge.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) explains that the law, known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), is fundamentally flawed when it comes to protecting creators. Corynne McSherry, EFF legal director, tells me that this “Safe Harbor” provision doesn’t protect creators at all – instead, it incentivizes platforms like YouTube to prioritize speed over accuracy.
“It creates a situation where service providers have very strong incentives to respond,” McSherry explains. “They don’t want to mess around and try to figure out if they might be liable or not.”
As a result, the DMCA has allowed bad actors like Tatsumi to take advantage of the system. This isn’t just limited to Nintendo; I’ve heard similar stories from creators across various platforms.
What’s clear is that YouTube must do better in preventing and addressing this type of abuse. It’s unacceptable for users to be at risk of having their content taken down or their channels terminated without any real effort by the platform to verify claims.
In a statement, YouTube did confirm that Tatsumi made false claims but refused to comment on why it initially accepted these claims as legitimate. The company also failed to provide any concrete steps it would take to prevent this type of abuse from happening in the future.
Tatsumi, for their part, has remained mum, sticking to their script and refusing to answer questions about their motives or authenticity.
For creators like Russ Crandall, who’s lost videos and even had his channel temporarily taken down due to Tatsumi’s actions, this lack of action is a huge problem. “It’s insane,” he writes. “It has to change NOW.”
The question remains: will YouTube finally step up to protect its creators from these types of attacks?
Source: www.theverge.com
