The Hitler "Downfall" video parodies are disappearing from YouTube...

[Bill V]

Since a few of the video parodies of Hitler being disappointed at all sorts of things, done via the subtitles from the scene in the movie "Downfall", have been posted here for some good yuks, I thought some people here may be interested in knowing that they're being removed by YouTube...



:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:

 

[Kevin Lang]

Google continues to sell out. "Do No Evil"...where evil is defined by the highest bidder



Lame Google, very lame.



Why did these Jewish groups make such a big deal out of this video? I don't see how a Hitler tirade in a sequestered bunker trivializes the Holocaust at all. Speaking of which, maybe these groups should direct their attention to more important areas, such as Iran telling the world that the Holocaust was a myth??



Couldn't ya'll have killed off some more annoying meme like LOLcat?

 

[TrainTrac]

It wasn't Jewish groups' complaints that caused the videos to be removed. The company that owns the rights to the film asked Google to remove it for copyright reasons.

Constantin Films, the company that owns the rights to the film, asked for them to be removed, and YouTube complied.



Martin Moszkowicz, head of film and TV at Constantin films in Munich, said the company had been fighting copyright infringement for years.

 

[Kevin Lang]

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the league was "delighted."



"We find them offensive," said Foxman of the videos. "We feel that they trivialize not only the Holocaust but World War II. Hitler is not a cartoon character."

The movie company wasn't the only source of complaints.



What was the movie maker's motivation for taking this down? Clearly it wasn't because they were loosing money--the meme spread awareness of the movie. Experiments have shown that putting free samples of content online actual boosts sales of physical copies.

 

[Shaun Tucker]

Thats true KL,



But in all the parodies I've watched, I have never once seen a credit or acknowledgment towards the original makers of the film, nor the film itself - If there was one, it was not made apparent enough.



When it was first posted here, people wondered what movie the parody was made from. I had to do a lot of research to find out what film it was from. I had seen the movie DOWNFALL when it first went to DVD (the movie is completely in subtitles) and recognized the scene, but could not for the life of me remember the title of the movie.



It may have done more harm then good completely removing the parody clips from Youtube. IMO They should at least ask for proper citiation or acknowledgements from the makers of the parody before ruining all the great (and FREE) promotion.



And before they got out of hand (by parodying every tiny little news event) I actually really enjoyed watching Hitler rave about silly things like the fact that Danny Heatley wanted a trade from the Ottawa Senators, or being booted from XBOX LIVE for getting caught cheating.

 

[TomT]

Here's the film companies reasoning: