Village People to YouTube: "Can you say D-M-C-A?"
Perhaps emboldened by Prince's move to sue YouTube, eBay, and Pirate Bay for encouraging others to violate his copyrights or — more likely — seduced by Web Sheriff who is assisting both artists to create a minor media brouhaha, disco band The Village People has announced its own plans to sue YouTube for a video featuring Hitler and a coterie of prominent Nazis singing "YMCA." Unlike Prince who seems to have given little regard for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's provision which allows potentially infringing parties an exception until a take down notice has been issued, Web Sheriff and The Village People have sent more than 500 take down notices for the same offending clip.Every time YouTube complies, another user uploads the same video — which may provide The Village People an actual legal argument . On the other hand, while The Village People have every right to be offended by their music being associated with Nazis, doesn't Hitler dancing and singing gay men's disco have as much artistic value as... Well, gay men's disco. It could constitute a fair-use artistic expression in its own right, for all I know.