7 ms·

Mend it Mark gets suspect copyright strike for £25k audio amp repair

306 points by Workaccount2 2y ago

Workaccount2 2y ago
The video in question can still be viewed on the Internet archive https://archive.org/details/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-went-wrong-tom-evans-mastergroove-sr-mk-iii-rjbp-fsfzi-i https://archive.org/details/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-went...
- neilv 2y ago
  This video is great. One of the better uses of the Internet. Google/YouTube/Alphabet should be doing everything they can to encourage high-quality educational content like this, rather than being party to suppressing it.
  - sneak 2y ago
    Anyone with a return address and big cash flows is ultimately a slave to the civil court system, with all of its inherent flaws (such as claims without merit being able to cost you thousands of dollars that you cannot recoup). It is in the best interest of large hosting companies, datacenters, and UGC sites to shy away from anything that remotely smells of liability because the costs can instantly far exceed the revenues from small customers due to the flaws of the US legal system. Many other civil systems use a “loser pays” model for funding lawyers, but if you get sued in the US and win, you still have to pay for your own lawyers unless you countersue (and your opponent is collectible). This opens up a very obvious denial of service attack.
    - neilv 2y ago
      In this case, doesn't the injustice work for Alphabet (not that that's just)? Can't they just establish a "we will not negotiate with terrorists" kind of reputation, and when they see abusive misuse of DMCA, then the abuser is facing very deep pockets of Alphabet, who is motivated to make a lesson of them?
      - slavik81 2y ago
        Google's current approach to copyright on YouTube was adopted following their settlement agreement with Viacom [1]. While the terms were never disclosed, that settlement probably constrains how Google can handle copyright policing on YouTube. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viacom_International_Inc._v._YouTube,_Inc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viacom_International_Inc._v._Y....
  - colonelpopcorn 2y ago
    I agree, but the incentives for Alphabet to encourage content like this isn't there. The content that is encouraged is that which keeps eyeballs glued to YouTube.
- Symbiote 2y ago
  It is streaming very slowly for me, but thanks to the person in Germany seeding the torrent :-) https://archive.org/download/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-went-wrong-tom-evans-mastergroove-sr-mk-iii-rjbp-fsfzi-i/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-went-wrong-tom-evans-mastergroove-sr-mk-iii-rjbp-fsfzi-i_archive.torrent https://archive.org/download/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-wen...
- JKCalhoun 2y ago
  Just jumped into the middle of the video somewhere and, wow, that's very much a prototype-looking amp inside.
- Tempest1981 2y ago
  Any chance it's the music he plays on his turntable, during the last 1 minute of the video? Shazam says it's Khruangbin - People Everywhere (Still Alive)
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - aaronmdjones 2y ago
    Not unless the owner of that track is also the creator of this amplifier.
    - Tempest1981 2y ago
      I thought he said it was unknown who filed the copyright claim, since Google doesn't provide that info.
      - aaronmdjones 2y ago
        Google (well, YouTube) does provide that info. https://youtube.com/watch?v=-RJbpFSFziI https://youtube.com/watch?v=-RJbpFSFziI Video Unavailable This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Tom Evans
- internet101010 2y ago
  I watched the entire thing and the only item that seems even remotely like infringement is the service manual containing the Tom Evans name that Mark made himself.
  - pessimizer 2y ago
    And that would be a trademark.
xbar 2y ago
I am inclined to find a Streisand album to play on a "Tom Evans" amp.
- JKCalhoun 2y ago
  Ha ha. Oh, I think I hear it already.
andrewflnr 2y ago
You need to read the "earlier coverage" link for this to make sense. For starters, "Tom Evans" is the manufacturing company, not necessarily just a random dude. But I guess Mend it Mark embarrassed the hell out of this company, so they're lashing out in the finest corporate-approved tradition for YouTube.
- tylerflick 2y ago
  Apparently Tom Evans is a dude at the company though. Their website looks as well put together as the amp in the video: http://www.audiodesign.co.uk/index.html http://www.audiodesign.co.uk/index.html
  - justmarc 2y ago
    Exactly right, and more. Oh goodness.
  - andrewflnr 2y ago
    I figured that was possible, hence "not necessarily", but he seems to be acting in the role of company here. At least for me, having a name that sounds like "just a guy", rather than a more conventional manufacturing company name, threw me way off for a little bit. :D
  - scns 2y ago
    > The new MasterGroove SR Mk3 is a quite literally beyond reality! Oookay. But ironically fitting somehow.
    - asddubs 2y ago
      so it doesn't exist?
      - Vecr 2y ago
        No, it works okay-ish. For the cost they should have been able to do better though.
ta988 2y ago
Looks like some company was really embarrassed someone would show that they added too many zeros to their product price...
- grues-dinner 2y ago
  Apparently they sent the device in themselves. I suppose they were expecting "cup the balls" sponsored content treatment rather than an unbiased video.
  - umvi 2y ago
    Clough42 gets free 3D printers from manufacturers sometimes to review, and every once in a while he tears the product a new one. And every once in a while the company actually uses said negative feedback to improve the product
    - radicalbyte 2y ago
      The 3D printer market isn't based on selling $20 cables for $3k based on some bullshit pseudo-science marketing.
      - sbarre 2y ago
        I remember the first time I saw audiophile cables that had an "electron flow direction" marked on them and I kinda knew right then what this was all about.
        6SixTy 2y ago
        Even leads for monitoring brain activity don't do that stuff. And they are monitoring literally mV. Leads and contact patches are often made of silver to capture that stuff too, and they have actual reasons to use silver.
        NegativeK 2y ago
tibbon 2y ago
I took a few music-centered copyright classes in college and thought I had a decent understanding of copyright. How in the world does this qualify for copyright claim? Is it that taking a photo/video of the physical device is making a derivative work? That too doesn't seem to make sense. Or is this just another bogus claim, like the one UMG made against the Esoterica channel recently against their own recording and arrangement of a Debussy piece that's 150 years old? It seems to me that there needs to be some sort of escrow that large copyright claimants need to put into when making these claims. If they make bogus claims, that should go to the person they accused incorrectly of a copyright violation. This would balance things out a bit, as currently last companies can just go claim anything they like, bully others, and have nothing behind it.
- db48x 2y ago
  It’s just yet another bogus claim.
- onli 2y ago
  I think it doesn't. But YouTubes copyright system is not a translation of how copyright actual works. Usually, these attacks are on YouTube and YouTube alone, as their system enables this.
- teddyh 2y ago
  This has barely anything to do with the legal concept you studied. A “copyright strike” is not a legal concept; it is a YouTube-specific term, used in the opaque bureaucracy that is YouTube/Google ToS violations, rules adherence, and ad revenue eligibility.
  - CoastalCoder 2y ago
    Could this qualify as tortuous interference with a business relationship, and/or slander of title? Or does the DMCA preempt such things?
    - 15155 2y ago
      If Mend It Mark actually earns revenue from his videos (the more, the better), he can sue under standard tort law, no contract involved, for the losses.
ryandrake 2y ago
The word "copyright" is slowly transforming into a more generic meaning where a big company silences a little company/individual that it doesn't like. This case doesn't seem to have anything to do with actual copyright. Did the company specify exactly what content they believed was copied? If you have a kid under 20, ask them what "copyright" means. They'll probably describe it to you in terms of corporate bullying rather than anything that has to do with intellectual property or copying.
- pinkmuffinere 2y ago
  I disagree with you argument — _we_ don’t know what the copyrighted portion was, but that doesn’t mean no such portion exists. Likewise, asking-kids-under-20 is not a method I’d generally endorse for legal issues. Per the article, it is unclear what was copyrighted. It’s possible that YouTube knows but is not making it public, or maybe even YouTube doesn’t know. I definitely feel that YouTube’s handling of copyright issues is annoying, I feel like the creator should be told what YouTube knows. But that’s not an issue with copyright itself.
  - nadermx 2y ago
    Yes, but copyright has fair use exception. And in theory when you send a DMCA, you are suppose to consider fair use[0], so this seems more like abuse. [0] https://www.arl.org/blog/9th-circuit-holds-fair-use-must-be-considered-before-dmca-takedown-notices-are-sent/ https://www.arl.org/blog/9th-circuit-holds-fair-use-must-be-...
    - mig39 2y ago
      This is the UK? DMCA doesn't apply there?
      - nadermx 2y ago
        Pretty sure when you submit a DMCA you submit to US jurisdiction, and since YouTube's copyright strike are their version of "DMCA", and they are a US company, I'd venture to say it's probably still US law they are under for this as they even site fair use[0] [0] https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13823830 https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13823830
crmd 2y ago
Huge fan of Mark here. His YouTube and Patreon are a wealth of knowledge for repairing electronics. He’s an expert in everything from electronics to machining and plastics fabrication. And his demeanor and presentation style is just lovely. I hope this nonsense increases his visibility and he gains some fans. https://youtube.com/@menditmark https://youtube.com/@menditmark https://www.patreon.com/MendItMark https://www.patreon.com/MendItMark I watched the Tom Evans video when it came out, and my guess is that their sham “copyright” claim comes from showing their logo or some written words on one of their PCBs.
- rwmj 2y ago
  I remember a video he made repairing a very ordinary, mid 90s, cost-reduced Sony Walkman, where he very carefully spent hours reproducing a tiny bit of metal that had worn out in the internal mechanism. Rescuing something that (even when bought) was mostly e-waste. Edit: This one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxkuOzvHToc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxkuOzvHToc
- fuzzfactor 2y ago
  Looks like he made his own service manual for this piece of gear and it has the manufacturer's logo on it without their consent. Which he prepared for the client in decent presentation quality. One of the most admirable things to do, above and beyond most repair professionals, looks like Mark really is a cut above and it shows. The top instrument companies have always recognized the advantage of partnering with the rare individual who can service their complex and unique products, and have been the most willing to provide schematics and discounted parts in order to make as many into authorized service centers as possible. To enable field calibration and service, or bench work without having to send their own people or ship the unit back to the main repair depot. The lesser outfits, not so much. If you've got money-making instruments to sell, you really don't want to work against someone who has the talent to fix defects without even having any factory documentation. That's hard to come by, they could be your best ally. Imagine what could happen with full factory support. And Mark prepared his own documentation! How much more respectable can you get? Posting it on Youtube is the only real mistake, unfortunate but true. Obviously, Youtube is not a respectable enough place, oh well, who knew? From the commentary it does look like the circuits are not more innovative than the "generic" guidelines published by the component manufacturers to encourage engineers to adopt their semiconductors for various intended purposes. When these analog devices were first emerging, some of these data sheets were widely published back when some of the example circuits were still under patent. There was every expectation that if you copied one of them, you would have to license it before you could legitimately include it with your own product. For these preamp components, patents have all expired now so that's not a consideration any more. However it's possible that somebody 30 or 40 years ago might have drawn up a PCB of a completely generic circuit that exactly conforms to an example public-domain schematic, no longer under patent by decades, but that pattern on the PCB could easily still be under copyright for decades to come. You create your own original artwork, you own it, even if the circuit is exactly the same. Thus I would say the patterns on the PCBs are only legitimate to reproduce in much less than their entirety, like passages from a book. That could be a pitfall, but I don't think more than a few relevant excerpts were casually shown in the video.
OMGWTF 2y ago
follow up video: The £25,000 Pre-Amp Repair and the Copyright Strike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPIrCaeVtvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPIrCaeVtvI
- lsllc 2y ago
  I love the "fairly good representation" of what had happened to the amp's internals (using Jenga blocks and random parts).
squarefoot 2y ago
Time to let the Streisand Effect do its fine job on that company.
- SXX 2y ago
  It's not like people who buy those $30,000+ audiophile devices care about any facts.
  - Mistletoe 2y ago
    Tekton had a similar war in the past and it greatly damaged their reputation in audiophile circles. https://www.audioresurgence.com/2024/04/asrs-contentious-clash-with-tekton-and-carver.html https://www.audioresurgence.com/2024/04/asrs-contentious-cla... Streisand Effect was strong on this one.
  - ethernot 2y ago
    They buy it because they want to tell people it cost $25k. If it's a fucking turd, which it is, does not form part of the equation.
    - whstl 2y ago
      You're getting downvoted, but this is exactly the reason people buy it. There is even an economic term for this phenomenon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good
  - parpfish 2y ago
    I’ve wondered whether the main customers for this type of equipment are audiophiles that use motivated reasoning and placebo effects to justify their purchase OR if this is being purchased by “installers” that build systems for the ultra wealthy who don’t know any better
    - Eisenstein 2y ago
      The people who buy truly believe that it is what it says it is. The mind is a powerful thing, and it is often (mostly) bought by older men who do as a point of pride. It does absolutely no good to try to explain to them why it can't do what it says it does, they have so many escape hatches that they can jump out of any one of them. It doesn't really matter though -- no matter how much the people selling the overpriced crap might be scumbags, the people buying it wouldn't be donating the money to a hospital or something otherwise. These aren't gambling addicts who are spending the money they need to pay the mortgage, these are rich old men with more money than sense.
pixelpoet 2y ago
"Audiophile" equipment has always seemed like the perfect breeding ground for snakeoil salesmen, with classic examples like the Shakti stone: https://www.shakti-innovations.com/product/shakti-stone/ https://www.shakti-innovations.com/product/shakti-stone/
- BoingBoomTschak 2y ago
  "Seemed"? It has been for a long time, audio enthusiasts that aren't suckers just keep on buying from Genelec/Neumann and other proven manufacturers publishing relevant measurement data.
- consp 2y ago
  > Placement on automotive CPUs has measurably increased engine horsepower. How is this even legal? It's not like the metal box doesn't do anything at all.
  - rtkwe 2y ago
    Because the FTC is budgetarily starved intentionally and doesn't have the time to go after every minor false claim out there. It's also a somewhat losing game because all they really have to do is have a single measurement showing a car did produce more horse power after placing the slab on the chip, which is extremely doable because measuring generated horsepower is far from a perfectly repeatable measurement, and they could slip out of any case brought by the FTC or winnow it down to a minor fine for less than the profits from their sales.
    - olyjohn 2y ago
      They have dyno charts on their website! It made between 2.7 and 3hp on the two vehicles they tested, which is pretty much the amount of variation you'd expect between two dyno runs. Total rubbish.
      - rtkwe 2y ago
        I didn't scroll far enough to see those but that's exactly what I'd expect. Minute "improvements" that are really just statistical noise from a dyno due to tiny variations even if the test(s) were genuine.
Mistletoe 2y ago
For those wanting a glimpse inside this monstrosity. https://hackaday.com/2024/11/14/repairing-the-questionable-25000-tom-evans-audiophile-pre-amp/ https://hackaday.com/2024/11/14/repairing-the-questionable-2...
- HelloUsername 2y ago
  It's mentioned in the article, "our earlier coverage"
jddj 2y ago
I get that the most likely is that Tom Evans didn't like it, but could the copyright claim not be for the khruangbin^ track that he plays at the end to test the repaired channel? I remember when I had a few friends who were making/mixing music they had to be very careful when uploading to YouTube due to automatic shazam style fingerprinting ^ I think. Didn't get to read the label Edit: mentioned by someone upthread too https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42358894 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42358894
- Vecr 2y ago
  It's not, when you try to go to the video it says "Tom Evans" on the error message.
  - jddj 2y ago
    Ah right, makes sense
StayTrue 2y ago
Long time fan I watched this video before it was struck and there was no infringement in the video unless opening a device and showing the inside constitutes infringement. Bad job YouTube.
bfrog 2y ago
I watched this episode, hilariously terrible construction of what I’m sure was a thoughtfully designed amp. The thing had pcbs stacked using plastic m2.5-like standoffs that had snapped. Apparently the product designer claimed Mark couldn’t fix it. Mend it Mark can fix anything that is fixable, truly a master repairman.
- brudgers 2y ago
  I watched too, and the whole time I was thinking about what Cathode Ray Dude said about high end electronics companies in this episode: https://youtu.be/pjrcB2qMbYU?si=sc9V6v27S2wyvBMj https://youtu.be/pjrcB2qMbYU?si=sc9V6v27S2wyvBMj And my own experience working on the design of complex projects as an architect. A good job will still include stupid mistakes when designing a one-off project because there are always gaps in institutional knowledge and time and money constraints. $25k is a lot of money to spend on home audio. It is not much income even for a side project. Never mind a manufacturing business with engineering and advertising overhead in addition to logistical and fabrication costs...and I think the devices in the video are manufactured in limited annual numbers so there's not even an economics of scale. I love Mark's channel, but videos that embarrass non-celebrity individuals is not why. Youtube drama doesn't seem to be his strong suit, and while what happened isn't justified, it is not terribly surprising now that I've thought about it. Anyway, it might have been someone who bought one of those amplifiers who filed the takedown. Because owners were also likely to be embarrassed by the video and also likely to have the wherewithal to file a takedown.
  - Symbiote 2y ago
    £25,000 is $31,900. Subtract the VAT to get £20,833. Then note the average annual salary for a man in Wales is £40,000. This would be a good income from a side project.
    - brudgers 2y ago
      The time, space and cost of design, parts acquisition, manufacturing, testing, advertising, shipping and customer service come out of that revenue. Despite the richness of Welsh culture and the wisdom of the Welsh people, the capital and technical knowledge required probably exceed that of the average Welsh salaryman.
dramm 2y ago
Oh God more Audiophile snake oil idiots. I feel sorry for Mend it Mark putting up with YouTube's copyright stupidity triggered by these idiots. I thought his well natured response video was a lot of fun. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPIrCaeVtvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPIrCaeVtvI) I hope Mend it Mark can continue to work to be less dependent on YouTube/Google, his training courses are hosted on Wistia for example.
atoav 2y ago
On tip on Audio gear: Ignore all the fluffy words just look at the specs. I use an affordable TPA32xx Class D module with a good meanwell power supply and I (professional audio engineer) can't hear any difference to e.g. the stuff Neumann put into my active KH120 monitors. I don't think some random hifi shop is going to outspec the best class D module Texas Instruments or Analog Devices can come up with. But sure, if fooling yourself with Hifi is your hobby, proceed.
yason 2y ago
And Streisand effect is in... effect. Next this Tom Evans get rossmanned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJYIhLQJtTs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJYIhLQJtTs
emsign 2y ago
Audiofoolery snake oil sellers are the worst
MarkusWandel 2y ago
Assuming this copyright strike has a legal leg to stand on, could it simply be that he goes through the manufacturer's web site blurb word by word, making fun of it? This could be construed as profiting from unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted content, could it not?
HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago
Ugh. I have a 25 year-old preamp that I made from what were at the time premium quality Burr-Brown opamps and it's better made than this thing appears to be. And as of yesterday, it still sounds awesome. OK, the input pots are getting a bit "crackly" but that's an easy fix. No idea what the sound quality on this unit is like, but for $25k I'd expect far better build quality!
mikewarot 2y ago
Tantalum capacitors? Yikes, I've seen so many of them short out over the years.

306 points by Workaccount2 2y ago

The video in question can still be viewed on the Internet archive https://archive.org/details/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-went-wrong-tom-evans-mastergroove-sr-mk-iii-rjbp-fsfzi-i https://archive.org/details/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-went...

neilv 2y ago
This video is great. One of the better uses of the Internet. Google/YouTube/Alphabet should be doing everything they can to encourage high-quality educational content like this, rather than being party to suppressing it.
- sneak 2y ago
  Anyone with a return address and big cash flows is ultimately a slave to the civil court system, with all of its inherent flaws (such as claims without merit being able to cost you thousands of dollars that you cannot recoup). It is in the best interest of large hosting companies, datacenters, and UGC sites to shy away from anything that remotely smells of liability because the costs can instantly far exceed the revenues from small customers due to the flaws of the US legal system. Many other civil systems use a “loser pays” model for funding lawyers, but if you get sued in the US and win, you still have to pay for your own lawyers unless you countersue (and your opponent is collectible). This opens up a very obvious denial of service attack.
  - neilv 2y ago
    In this case, doesn't the injustice work for Alphabet (not that that's just)? Can't they just establish a "we will not negotiate with terrorists" kind of reputation, and when they see abusive misuse of DMCA, then the abuser is facing very deep pockets of Alphabet, who is motivated to make a lesson of them?
    - slavik81 2y ago
      Google's current approach to copyright on YouTube was adopted following their settlement agreement with Viacom [1]. While the terms were never disclosed, that settlement probably constrains how Google can handle copyright policing on YouTube. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viacom_International_Inc._v._YouTube,_Inc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viacom_International_Inc._v._Y....
- colonelpopcorn 2y ago
  I agree, but the incentives for Alphabet to encourage content like this isn't there. The content that is encouraged is that which keeps eyeballs glued to YouTube.
Symbiote 2y ago
It is streaming very slowly for me, but thanks to the person in Germany seeding the torrent :-) https://archive.org/download/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-went-wrong-tom-evans-mastergroove-sr-mk-iii-rjbp-fsfzi-i/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-went-wrong-tom-evans-mastergroove-sr-mk-iii-rjbp-fsfzi-i_archive.torrent https://archive.org/download/the-gbp-25-000-pre-amp-that-wen...
JKCalhoun 2y ago
Just jumped into the middle of the video somewhere and, wow, that's very much a prototype-looking amp inside.
Tempest1981 2y ago
Any chance it's the music he plays on his turntable, during the last 1 minute of the video? Shazam says it's Khruangbin - People Everywhere (Still Alive)
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- aaronmdjones 2y ago
  Not unless the owner of that track is also the creator of this amplifier.
  - Tempest1981 2y ago
    I thought he said it was unknown who filed the copyright claim, since Google doesn't provide that info.
    - aaronmdjones 2y ago
      Google (well, YouTube) does provide that info. https://youtube.com/watch?v=-RJbpFSFziI https://youtube.com/watch?v=-RJbpFSFziI Video Unavailable This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Tom Evans
internet101010 2y ago
I watched the entire thing and the only item that seems even remotely like infringement is the service manual containing the Tom Evans name that Mark made himself.
- pessimizer 2y ago
  And that would be a trademark.

xbar 2y ago

I am inclined to find a Streisand album to play on a "Tom Evans" amp.

JKCalhoun 2y ago
Ha ha. Oh, I think I hear it already.

andrewflnr 2y ago

You need to read the "earlier coverage" link for this to make sense. For starters, "Tom Evans" is the manufacturing company, not necessarily just a random dude. But I guess Mend it Mark embarrassed the hell out of this company, so they're lashing out in the finest corporate-approved tradition for YouTube.

tylerflick 2y ago
Apparently Tom Evans is a dude at the company though. Their website looks as well put together as the amp in the video: http://www.audiodesign.co.uk/index.html http://www.audiodesign.co.uk/index.html
- justmarc 2y ago
  Exactly right, and more. Oh goodness.
- andrewflnr 2y ago
  I figured that was possible, hence "not necessarily", but he seems to be acting in the role of company here. At least for me, having a name that sounds like "just a guy", rather than a more conventional manufacturing company name, threw me way off for a little bit. :D
- scns 2y ago
  > The new MasterGroove SR Mk3 is a quite literally beyond reality! Oookay. But ironically fitting somehow.
  - asddubs 2y ago
    so it doesn't exist?
    - Vecr 2y ago
      No, it works okay-ish. For the cost they should have been able to do better though.

ta988 2y ago

Looks like some company was really embarrassed someone would show that they added too many zeros to their product price...

grues-dinner 2y ago
Apparently they sent the device in themselves. I suppose they were expecting "cup the balls" sponsored content treatment rather than an unbiased video.
- umvi 2y ago
  Clough42 gets free 3D printers from manufacturers sometimes to review, and every once in a while he tears the product a new one. And every once in a while the company actually uses said negative feedback to improve the product
  - radicalbyte 2y ago
    The 3D printer market isn't based on selling $20 cables for $3k based on some bullshit pseudo-science marketing.
    - sbarre 2y ago
      I remember the first time I saw audiophile cables that had an "electron flow direction" marked on them and I kinda knew right then what this was all about.
      - 6SixTy 2y ago
        Even leads for monitoring brain activity don't do that stuff. And they are monitoring literally mV. Leads and contact patches are often made of silver to capture that stuff too, and they have actual reasons to use silver.
        NegativeK 2y ago

tibbon 2y ago

I took a few music-centered copyright classes in college and thought I had a decent understanding of copyright. How in the world does this qualify for copyright claim? Is it that taking a photo/video of the physical device is making a derivative work? That too doesn't seem to make sense. Or is this just another bogus claim, like the one UMG made against the Esoterica channel recently against their own recording and arrangement of a Debussy piece that's 150 years old? It seems to me that there needs to be some sort of escrow that large copyright claimants need to put into when making these claims. If they make bogus claims, that should go to the person they accused incorrectly of a copyright violation. This would balance things out a bit, as currently last companies can just go claim anything they like, bully others, and have nothing behind it.

db48x 2y ago
It’s just yet another bogus claim.
onli 2y ago
I think it doesn't. But YouTubes copyright system is not a translation of how copyright actual works. Usually, these attacks are on YouTube and YouTube alone, as their system enables this.
teddyh 2y ago
This has barely anything to do with the legal concept you studied. A “copyright strike” is not a legal concept; it is a YouTube-specific term, used in the opaque bureaucracy that is YouTube/Google ToS violations, rules adherence, and ad revenue eligibility.
- CoastalCoder 2y ago
  Could this qualify as tortuous interference with a business relationship, and/or slander of title? Or does the DMCA preempt such things?
  - 15155 2y ago
    If Mend It Mark actually earns revenue from his videos (the more, the better), he can sue under standard tort law, no contract involved, for the losses.

ryandrake 2y ago

The word "copyright" is slowly transforming into a more generic meaning where a big company silences a little company/individual that it doesn't like. This case doesn't seem to have anything to do with actual copyright. Did the company specify exactly what content they believed was copied? If you have a kid under 20, ask them what "copyright" means. They'll probably describe it to you in terms of corporate bullying rather than anything that has to do with intellectual property or copying.

pinkmuffinere 2y ago
I disagree with you argument — _we_ don’t know what the copyrighted portion was, but that doesn’t mean no such portion exists. Likewise, asking-kids-under-20 is not a method I’d generally endorse for legal issues. Per the article, it is unclear what was copyrighted. It’s possible that YouTube knows but is not making it public, or maybe even YouTube doesn’t know. I definitely feel that YouTube’s handling of copyright issues is annoying, I feel like the creator should be told what YouTube knows. But that’s not an issue with copyright itself.
- nadermx 2y ago
  Yes, but copyright has fair use exception. And in theory when you send a DMCA, you are suppose to consider fair use[0], so this seems more like abuse. [0] https://www.arl.org/blog/9th-circuit-holds-fair-use-must-be-considered-before-dmca-takedown-notices-are-sent/ https://www.arl.org/blog/9th-circuit-holds-fair-use-must-be-...
  - mig39 2y ago
    This is the UK? DMCA doesn't apply there?
    - nadermx 2y ago
      Pretty sure when you submit a DMCA you submit to US jurisdiction, and since YouTube's copyright strike are their version of "DMCA", and they are a US company, I'd venture to say it's probably still US law they are under for this as they even site fair use[0] [0] https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13823830 https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13823830

crmd 2y ago

Huge fan of Mark here. His YouTube and Patreon are a wealth of knowledge for repairing electronics. He’s an expert in everything from electronics to machining and plastics fabrication. And his demeanor and presentation style is just lovely. I hope this nonsense increases his visibility and he gains some fans. https://youtube.com/@menditmark https://youtube.com/@menditmark https://www.patreon.com/MendItMark https://www.patreon.com/MendItMark I watched the Tom Evans video when it came out, and my guess is that their sham “copyright” claim comes from showing their logo or some written words on one of their PCBs.

rwmj 2y ago
I remember a video he made repairing a very ordinary, mid 90s, cost-reduced Sony Walkman, where he very carefully spent hours reproducing a tiny bit of metal that had worn out in the internal mechanism. Rescuing something that (even when bought) was mostly e-waste. Edit: This one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxkuOzvHToc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxkuOzvHToc
fuzzfactor 2y ago
Looks like he made his own service manual for this piece of gear and it has the manufacturer's logo on it without their consent. Which he prepared for the client in decent presentation quality. One of the most admirable things to do, above and beyond most repair professionals, looks like Mark really is a cut above and it shows. The top instrument companies have always recognized the advantage of partnering with the rare individual who can service their complex and unique products, and have been the most willing to provide schematics and discounted parts in order to make as many into authorized service centers as possible. To enable field calibration and service, or bench work without having to send their own people or ship the unit back to the main repair depot. The lesser outfits, not so much. If you've got money-making instruments to sell, you really don't want to work against someone who has the talent to fix defects without even having any factory documentation. That's hard to come by, they could be your best ally. Imagine what could happen with full factory support. And Mark prepared his own documentation! How much more respectable can you get? Posting it on Youtube is the only real mistake, unfortunate but true. Obviously, Youtube is not a respectable enough place, oh well, who knew? From the commentary it does look like the circuits are not more innovative than the "generic" guidelines published by the component manufacturers to encourage engineers to adopt their semiconductors for various intended purposes. When these analog devices were first emerging, some of these data sheets were widely published back when some of the example circuits were still under patent. There was every expectation that if you copied one of them, you would have to license it before you could legitimately include it with your own product. For these preamp components, patents have all expired now so that's not a consideration any more. However it's possible that somebody 30 or 40 years ago might have drawn up a PCB of a completely generic circuit that exactly conforms to an example public-domain schematic, no longer under patent by decades, but that pattern on the PCB could easily still be under copyright for decades to come. You create your own original artwork, you own it, even if the circuit is exactly the same. Thus I would say the patterns on the PCBs are only legitimate to reproduce in much less than their entirety, like passages from a book. That could be a pitfall, but I don't think more than a few relevant excerpts were casually shown in the video.

OMGWTF 2y ago

follow up video: The £25,000 Pre-Amp Repair and the Copyright Strike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPIrCaeVtvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPIrCaeVtvI

lsllc 2y ago
I love the "fairly good representation" of what had happened to the amp's internals (using Jenga blocks and random parts).

squarefoot 2y ago

Time to let the Streisand Effect do its fine job on that company.

SXX 2y ago
It's not like people who buy those $30,000+ audiophile devices care about any facts.
- Mistletoe 2y ago
  Tekton had a similar war in the past and it greatly damaged their reputation in audiophile circles. https://www.audioresurgence.com/2024/04/asrs-contentious-clash-with-tekton-and-carver.html https://www.audioresurgence.com/2024/04/asrs-contentious-cla... Streisand Effect was strong on this one.
- ethernot 2y ago
  They buy it because they want to tell people it cost $25k. If it's a fucking turd, which it is, does not form part of the equation.
  - whstl 2y ago
    You're getting downvoted, but this is exactly the reason people buy it. There is even an economic term for this phenomenon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good
- parpfish 2y ago
  I’ve wondered whether the main customers for this type of equipment are audiophiles that use motivated reasoning and placebo effects to justify their purchase OR if this is being purchased by “installers” that build systems for the ultra wealthy who don’t know any better
  - Eisenstein 2y ago
    The people who buy truly believe that it is what it says it is. The mind is a powerful thing, and it is often (mostly) bought by older men who do as a point of pride. It does absolutely no good to try to explain to them why it can't do what it says it does, they have so many escape hatches that they can jump out of any one of them. It doesn't really matter though -- no matter how much the people selling the overpriced crap might be scumbags, the people buying it wouldn't be donating the money to a hospital or something otherwise. These aren't gambling addicts who are spending the money they need to pay the mortgage, these are rich old men with more money than sense.

pixelpoet 2y ago

"Audiophile" equipment has always seemed like the perfect breeding ground for snakeoil salesmen, with classic examples like the Shakti stone: https://www.shakti-innovations.com/product/shakti-stone/ https://www.shakti-innovations.com/product/shakti-stone/

BoingBoomTschak 2y ago
"Seemed"? It has been for a long time, audio enthusiasts that aren't suckers just keep on buying from Genelec/Neumann and other proven manufacturers publishing relevant measurement data.
consp 2y ago
> Placement on automotive CPUs has measurably increased engine horsepower. How is this even legal? It's not like the metal box doesn't do anything at all.
- rtkwe 2y ago
  Because the FTC is budgetarily starved intentionally and doesn't have the time to go after every minor false claim out there. It's also a somewhat losing game because all they really have to do is have a single measurement showing a car did produce more horse power after placing the slab on the chip, which is extremely doable because measuring generated horsepower is far from a perfectly repeatable measurement, and they could slip out of any case brought by the FTC or winnow it down to a minor fine for less than the profits from their sales.
  - olyjohn 2y ago
    They have dyno charts on their website! It made between 2.7 and 3hp on the two vehicles they tested, which is pretty much the amount of variation you'd expect between two dyno runs. Total rubbish.
    - rtkwe 2y ago
      I didn't scroll far enough to see those but that's exactly what I'd expect. Minute "improvements" that are really just statistical noise from a dyno due to tiny variations even if the test(s) were genuine.

Mistletoe 2y ago

For those wanting a glimpse inside this monstrosity. https://hackaday.com/2024/11/14/repairing-the-questionable-25000-tom-evans-audiophile-pre-amp/ https://hackaday.com/2024/11/14/repairing-the-questionable-2...

HelloUsername 2y ago
It's mentioned in the article, "our earlier coverage"

jddj 2y ago

I get that the most likely is that Tom Evans didn't like it, but could the copyright claim not be for the khruangbin^ track that he plays at the end to test the repaired channel? I remember when I had a few friends who were making/mixing music they had to be very careful when uploading to YouTube due to automatic shazam style fingerprinting ^ I think. Didn't get to read the label Edit: mentioned by someone upthread too https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42358894 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42358894

Vecr 2y ago
It's not, when you try to go to the video it says "Tom Evans" on the error message.
- jddj 2y ago
  Ah right, makes sense

StayTrue 2y ago

Long time fan I watched this video before it was struck and there was no infringement in the video unless opening a device and showing the inside constitutes infringement. Bad job YouTube.

bfrog 2y ago

I watched this episode, hilariously terrible construction of what I’m sure was a thoughtfully designed amp. The thing had pcbs stacked using plastic m2.5-like standoffs that had snapped. Apparently the product designer claimed Mark couldn’t fix it. Mend it Mark can fix anything that is fixable, truly a master repairman.

brudgers 2y ago
I watched too, and the whole time I was thinking about what Cathode Ray Dude said about high end electronics companies in this episode: https://youtu.be/pjrcB2qMbYU?si=sc9V6v27S2wyvBMj https://youtu.be/pjrcB2qMbYU?si=sc9V6v27S2wyvBMj And my own experience working on the design of complex projects as an architect. A good job will still include stupid mistakes when designing a one-off project because there are always gaps in institutional knowledge and time and money constraints. $25k is a lot of money to spend on home audio. It is not much income even for a side project. Never mind a manufacturing business with engineering and advertising overhead in addition to logistical and fabrication costs...and I think the devices in the video are manufactured in limited annual numbers so there's not even an economics of scale. I love Mark's channel, but videos that embarrass non-celebrity individuals is not why. Youtube drama doesn't seem to be his strong suit, and while what happened isn't justified, it is not terribly surprising now that I've thought about it. Anyway, it might have been someone who bought one of those amplifiers who filed the takedown. Because owners were also likely to be embarrassed by the video and also likely to have the wherewithal to file a takedown.
- Symbiote 2y ago
  £25,000 is $31,900. Subtract the VAT to get £20,833. Then note the average annual salary for a man in Wales is £40,000. This would be a good income from a side project.
  - brudgers 2y ago
    The time, space and cost of design, parts acquisition, manufacturing, testing, advertising, shipping and customer service come out of that revenue. Despite the richness of Welsh culture and the wisdom of the Welsh people, the capital and technical knowledge required probably exceed that of the average Welsh salaryman.

dramm 2y ago

Oh God more Audiophile snake oil idiots. I feel sorry for Mend it Mark putting up with YouTube's copyright stupidity triggered by these idiots. I thought his well natured response video was a lot of fun. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPIrCaeVtvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPIrCaeVtvI) I hope Mend it Mark can continue to work to be less dependent on YouTube/Google, his training courses are hosted on Wistia for example.

atoav 2y ago

On tip on Audio gear: Ignore all the fluffy words just look at the specs. I use an affordable TPA32xx Class D module with a good meanwell power supply and I (professional audio engineer) can't hear any difference to e.g. the stuff Neumann put into my active KH120 monitors. I don't think some random hifi shop is going to outspec the best class D module Texas Instruments or Analog Devices can come up with. But sure, if fooling yourself with Hifi is your hobby, proceed.

yason 2y ago

And Streisand effect is in... effect. Next this Tom Evans get rossmanned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJYIhLQJtTs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJYIhLQJtTs

emsign 2y ago

Audiofoolery snake oil sellers are the worst

MarkusWandel 2y ago

Assuming this copyright strike has a legal leg to stand on, could it simply be that he goes through the manufacturer's web site blurb word by word, making fun of it? This could be construed as profiting from unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted content, could it not?

HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago

Ugh. I have a 25 year-old preamp that I made from what were at the time premium quality Burr-Brown opamps and it's better made than this thing appears to be. And as of yesterday, it still sounds awesome. OK, the input pots are getting a bit "crackly" but that's an easy fix. No idea what the sound quality on this unit is like, but for $25k I'd expect far better build quality!

mikewarot 2y ago

Tantalum capacitors? Yikes, I've seen so many of them short out over the years.