Tuesday, Nov 08, 2022, 15:18
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Apple Forces Deletion Of Video Archive Containing Old Apple Clips
For many years, a YouTube channel collected old Apple videos, particularly session videos from earlier developer conferences. For those interested in seeing how Apple touted new technology two decades ago and how the company acquainted developers with the basics or even special cases was able to head to the channel for some extensive browsing. "Was" – as Apple's legal department recently arranged for the end of the aforementioned YouTube channel. As per the previous owner of the channel, Brendan Shanks, explained – there were so many complaints due to copyright infringements, that YouTube locked the channel and deleted all of its videos.
Videos Gone, Channel Gone
Hundreds of videos fell victim to the delection – including even Brendan Shanks' private account and his recent subscription to YouTube TV. Brendan responded by tweeting, "Congratulations Apple, you took down my YouTube channel containing hundreds of…20-year old WWDC videos. Wouldn’t want anyone learning about Mac OS X, Darwin, Aqua, or WebObjects". However, Shanks continues to possess the recordings and their descriptions, dating all the way back to 2001. He hopes to release these to the Internet Archive, although he regrets that the content will be on a much less accessible format and found by far fewer users as a result.
Legally Acceptable – Although Odd
From a purely legal perspective, the situation is clear. Even just the account name "Apple WWDC Videos" technically violates Apple's exclusive brand name, as it could leave the impression that the channel is officially related to Apple. Additionally, it's up to Apple to determine how its copyrighted videos are used. However, whether or not it's all that reasonable to enforce the deletion of such old clips is still a bit questionable. It's likely that the presentations simply no longer correspond with the current public image pushed by Apple. Nevertheless, the company also thrives due to its enthusiastic fan base, whom such behavior could certainly offend.
Videos Gone, Channel Gone
Hundreds of videos fell victim to the delection – including even Brendan Shanks' private account and his recent subscription to YouTube TV. Brendan responded by tweeting, "Congratulations Apple, you took down my YouTube channel containing hundreds of…20-year old WWDC videos. Wouldn’t want anyone learning about Mac OS X, Darwin, Aqua, or WebObjects". However, Shanks continues to possess the recordings and their descriptions, dating all the way back to 2001. He hopes to release these to the Internet Archive, although he regrets that the content will be on a much less accessible format and found by far fewer users as a result.
Legally Acceptable – Although Odd
From a purely legal perspective, the situation is clear. Even just the account name "Apple WWDC Videos" technically violates Apple's exclusive brand name, as it could leave the impression that the channel is officially related to Apple. Additionally, it's up to Apple to determine how its copyrighted videos are used. However, whether or not it's all that reasonable to enforce the deletion of such old clips is still a bit questionable. It's likely that the presentations simply no longer correspond with the current public image pushed by Apple. Nevertheless, the company also thrives due to its enthusiastic fan base, whom such behavior could certainly offend.
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