Sun Sep 15 16:11:59 UTC 2024: ## Universal Music Gets Away with False Takedown Notice, Again

**New York, NY** – A recent case in the Southern District of New York highlights the ongoing problem of copyright holders abusing the DMCA’s safe harbor provisions. In *White v. UMG Recordings, Inc.*, a musician named Jordan White sued Universal Music Group (UMG) for sending false takedown notices targeting his song “Oi!”.

The dispute centers on a beat produced by Jordan Jenks, licensed non-exclusively to White and incorporated into his song. UMG owns the copyright to a different song, “Right Now,” which also uses Jenks’ beat. However, despite not owning the beat itself, UMG’s “content protection specialist” identified the beat in “Oi!” and mistakenly assumed it infringed on “Right Now,” leading to the takedown notices.

The court dismissed White’s claim, finding that he failed to prove UMG’s knowledge of the false nature of the takedown notices. White argued that UMG was aware of his non-exclusive license to the beat, but the court found that he didn’t provide sufficient evidence of UMG’s actual knowledge.

This case illustrates the limitations of the DMCA’s 512(f) provision, designed to protect individuals from false takedown notices. While the law aims to deter such abuse, it appears to be failing. As the author of the blog post notes, “It’s lamentable each and every time.”

**The case underscores the importance for copyright holders to have robust systems in place to track their ownership and licensing agreements. Otherwise, they risk inadvertently targeting legitimate content and facing potential legal repercussions.**

Read More