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Considering youtube-dl isn't doing anything a web browser accessing these sites can't do, essentially serving as a headless web browser with a convenient CLI, I

Considering youtube-dl isn't doing anything a web browser accessing these sites can't do, essentially serving as a headless web browser with a convenient CLI, I don't see how this could possibly have a leg to stand on. It's like serving Mozilla a DMCA takedown for FireFox. I however welcome the highly visible reminder that github should only be used as a mirror at most.

curtis3389 6y ago
Someone should issue DMCAs for the Chromium and Firefox repos. Fight fire with fire.
- Raymonf 6y ago
  That is extremely illegal.
  - fenwick67 6y ago
    How is it illegal to file a DMCA takedown request if you believe you have legal standing to do so? EDIT: The DMCA doesn't require that you have a law degree to submit a takedown request, it just requires that you truly believe it is infringing.
    - ripdog 6y ago
      You also need to either own the copyright or have permission from the owner.
      - efreak 6y ago
        My understanding is that it only requires you send the notice in good faith, meaning that if you think you own a copyright but don't (because, say, you own too many copyrights to keep track of them) you're still in the clear.
  - thescriptkiddie 6y ago
    Apparently not, since people get away with sending fraudulent takedown requests all of the time. Now that I think of it, has anyone ever been punished for abusing the DMCA?
NegativeK 6y ago
There's an obvious difference between a browser that, in normal use, doesn't allow storing of streaming video, and a tool that does and isn't supported by Google at all. Yes, you can download the full video with a browser. Yes, you can use wget or curl to do that. But youtube-dl's community was dumb enough to give clear cut examples of downloading copywritten material, which is obviously not what the RIAA or probably even YouTube's lawyers want. Courts care about intent, and it's a straw man to argue that technical similarities mean they're half-assing their enforcement.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- intricatedetail 6y ago
  Is there a law that says https protocol has to be consumed by a browser?
- Asooka 6y ago
  You can right-click->save-as the video link in the network panel of dev tools of either Chrome or Firefox. Google's own browser lets you save youtube videos with a few clicks. Also taping TV and radio is legal as well, even though the receiving device doesn't offer that functionality, unlike Chrome.

curtis3389 6y ago

Someone should issue DMCAs for the Chromium and Firefox repos. Fight fire with fire.

Raymonf 6y ago
That is extremely illegal.
- fenwick67 6y ago
  How is it illegal to file a DMCA takedown request if you believe you have legal standing to do so? EDIT: The DMCA doesn't require that you have a law degree to submit a takedown request, it just requires that you truly believe it is infringing.
  - ripdog 6y ago
    You also need to either own the copyright or have permission from the owner.
    - efreak 6y ago
      My understanding is that it only requires you send the notice in good faith, meaning that if you think you own a copyright but don't (because, say, you own too many copyrights to keep track of them) you're still in the clear.
- thescriptkiddie 6y ago
  Apparently not, since people get away with sending fraudulent takedown requests all of the time. Now that I think of it, has anyone ever been punished for abusing the DMCA?

NegativeK 6y ago

There's an obvious difference between a browser that, in normal use, doesn't allow storing of streaming video, and a tool that does and isn't supported by Google at all. Yes, you can download the full video with a browser. Yes, you can use wget or curl to do that. But youtube-dl's community was dumb enough to give clear cut examples of downloading copywritten material, which is obviously not what the RIAA or probably even YouTube's lawyers want. Courts care about intent, and it's a straw man to argue that technical similarities mean they're half-assing their enforcement.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
intricatedetail 6y ago
Is there a law that says https protocol has to be consumed by a browser?
Asooka 6y ago
You can right-click->save-as the video link in the network panel of dev tools of either Chrome or Firefox. Google's own browser lets you save youtube videos with a few clicks. Also taping TV and radio is legal as well, even though the receiving device doesn't offer that functionality, unlike Chrome.