Comments on: McCain campaign protests YouTube's DMCA policy

John McCain's presidential campaign thinks YouTube is a little too quick to pull down political videos after receiving copyright complaints.

[wango2007]

This is more dirty Obama politics at work. The Obama campaign is using Nixon's "dirty trick" methods.

This is "change"???

[msanto]

Where do you get that from? These are DMCA removals, not requests by Obama. Besides, if anyone is playing dirty, it's McCain.

http://community.nytimes.com/article/comments/2008/10/15/us/politics/15poll.html

[msanto]

Also, the EFF says: "the Obama-Biden campaign has also been the victim of frivolous takedowns from big media companies, so this is a bipartisan problem."

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=talkbackCommentsFull&talk_back_header_id=6559044&articleid=CA6600930
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/10/mccain-campaign-feels-dmca-sting

[drfrost]

Obama will most certainly attempt to bring change. He wants to bring much more socialism to our system, with much bigger government. Like every other politician he fails to really outline how he's going to pay for it. Yes, he says he's going to make cuts where it won't hurt but fails to mention where that is.

Personally, I want less government and I certainly don't want more socialism. That's two marks against Obama.

I believe the biggest single problem with our current government is that it's being controlled by big business and special interest groups. Of the two candidates, McCain has definitely done the most to address this single issue. That's one mark for McCain.

Note, there are other +'s and -'s in both columns, these are just two issues important to me.

Reasonable voters need to look at the candidates voting records and what they've stood for (yes, Obama's record is rather short but there's still enough to get a picture of what he stands for) and then make up their own minds because, as we all know, politicians are not exactly forthright with their agenda's during elections. Obama wouldn't even answer a question on where he stood on abortion. It reminds me a Clarence Thomas dodging the question in a similar fashion before he was appointed to the supreme court. I'm sorry, but two wrongs don't make a right. This is an issue important to many Americans and they have a right to know where you stand on the issue before voting for you.

Personally, I wish we had a viable independent running for President. In fact, I wish we could fire everyone who's currently serving at the national level and start over with JUST independents with NO experience in Washington and new laws to remove the corruption that election campaign finance practices are bringing to the current system. Then we might have some leaders who are truly committed to the American people and not beholden to the companies and groups who purchased their current position for them.

[knowles2]

Macain is
You desperate man who will probably not be president and well tell you the truth I do not want as president but I know you are desperate for votes then you have found the perfect way.
get rid of the crappy law called DMCA, well I know you probably receive a check in the mail to past the law, with looking to closely at it but you should have cashed that in by now. So instead of launching attacks on Obarma how about launching attacks on such popular people as MPAA and the useless DMCA who will gain more votes than useless personal attacks on Obarma which seem to have done you more damage. Plus attacking anyone in coorperate America at the moment will probably win you vote.

Just a bit of free advice.

[Pete Bardo]

McCain's campaign is suggesting that political campaigns should not be subject to the same laws, policies and practices that apply to everyone else in the world. And they seem to think this has something to do with free speech. This has nothing to do with free speech and/or the Constitution. YouTube does not make laws and is not a government agency, so the Constitution does not apply here. YouTube, on the other hand, is required to honor DMCA take down requests.

They're complaining about the 10 - 14 days minimum it takes to restore the video. How about the months it took t restore the video of a youngster dancing to a Prince tune? And the song was barely audible at that..

McCain and his campaign staffers seem to think it is fair to use any copyrighted material in the name of politics. Wow! If the use in any way implies endorsement of the candidate without the copyright owner's approval, that's not fair use. Their videos are not news, not educational and not exempt from copyright laws. Why should YouTube bear the expense of investigating 'fair use' only for political campaigns? It has to be all or nothing. It's legal for all of us, or illegal for all of us--McCain included.

Hey, I liked McCain when I met him some 26 years ago when running for his first term as a Congressman. I predicted in 1982 that he would be President one day. But, as an Arizona resident, I have never voted for him and I don't plan on changing that pattern this year.

[GoodyErin]

The problem is the McCain campaign wasn't really in a position to rely upon flying under the radar. Once the videos were busted on YouTube just moving them somewhere else wouldn't have solved anything.