Google’s Blog Crackdown Continues
Blogger Bill Lipold of I Rock Cleveland Responds
As they did last year, Google has without warning deleted a number of established music blogs hosted on its Blogger service this week.
In an email sent to I Rock Cleveland, Pop Tarts, Masala, To Die By Your Side, It's a Rap, Living Ears and perhaps others, Google said that it had been sent multiple copyright infringement notices from record labels. Each blogger awoke to find years of posts deleted and a notice from Google's Blogger team, "We'd like to inform you that we've received another complaint regarding your blog." said Google. "Upon review of your account, we've noted that your blog has repeatedly violated Blogger's Terms of Service. Given that we've provided you with several warnings of these violations and advised you of our policy towards repeat infringers, we've been forced to remove your blog. Thank you for your understanding."
"I do admit, I’ve been accused of infringement before, but in each and every case it happened after posting an mp3 pre-cleared by a label or pr-firm," I Rock Cleveland blogger Bill Lipold tells Hypebot. "The IFPI, acting unknown to the label, would find me a couple months later and file a claim. I’ve highlighted a few such instances here."
"I like to think that me and my blog, I Rock Cleveland, were one of the good guys.," continued Lipold. "I worked closely with labels and pr firms, being careful not to step on anyone’s rights, careful not to post any audio which wasn’t approved for promotional purposes. I provided news and reviews for a small, dedicated readership in Cleveland. I Rock Cleveland wasn’t about free music or piracy, but about getting people to think about what they’re listening to and exposing them to new sounds. Still, I got caught up in this mess."
But even the mighty Google can't stop Lipold from blogging about music. He's already back up and running at the url http://www.irockcleveland.com.
Hey Bruce, I wanted to let everyone know that any rock, punk, or metal blogs that have had problems with the ifpi infringing on their rights to host legitimate blogs can certainly host them at megaplatinum.net – we don’t back down from nobody. Thanks for all you do.
Nick Vivid
Thanks for the story, Bruce. Hopefully, as the word gets out, everyone involved will realize that our current system for combating piracy isn’t perfect. The way things are now, people like me, who try their best to respect the rights of artists and labels, who strive to make their sites as legal as possible, still get caught in the wide piracy net. Better methods for flagging pirated material, more human intervention, simpler methods for countering DMCA claims, and most importantly, more communication between the parties involved can prevent instances like this from recurring. With more intelligent piracy procedures in place we’ll all look a whole lot smarter — The labels, the pr firms, the trade groups, the independent bloggers, and the hosts — all of us would benefit.
Just one correction, however, it’s Bill.
Thanks guys. And sorry Bill. It’s corrected.