YouTube is using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to sue Christopher Brady for harming the company, alleging he used false copyright strikes to extort YouTube creators. The platform is now seeking compensation and an injunction against possible fraudulent claims in the future.
According to filings, Brady was sued for sending multiple complaints regarding two “Minecrafters “ – “Kenzo” and “ObbyRaidz” – who allegedly infringed his copyrighted material. When a copyright infringement complaint reaches YouTube, the platform removes the videos, and such was the case for Kenzo and ObbyRaidz.
Before sending the third copyright complaint – that would eventually result in the channels and all their content being suspended from the platform – Brady contacted the YouTubers asking for payment ($150 to ObbyRaidz and $300 to Kenzo), or else he would proceed in contacting YouTube.
The lawsuit states that “Brady has submitted these notices as part of a scheme to harass and extort money from the users that he falsely accuses of infringement.”
According to the lawsuit, YouTube became aware of the situation only when ObbyRaidz and Kenzo publicly spoke about the alleged extortion on their personal YouTube Channels. The suit suggests Brady appears to be continuing with his extortion endeavors. Between June 29th and July 3rd YouTube received four of Brady’s infamous copyright infringement notices, accusing YouTuber “Cxlvxn” of misusing his content.
“Brady’s extortionate and harassing activities described here may, at least in part, be motivated by his failings in his Minecraft interactions,” the lawsuit continues.
YouTube regularly terminates accounts that misuse its copyright system. In a blatant case of extortion, such as this one, the company felt compelled to “pursue further legal action and make it clear that we do not tolerate abuse of our platform or its users.”
However, Brady’s case seems to be more complicated than others. YouTube claims that Brady used at least “15 different online identities, all of which YouTube traced back to him,” to handle multiple simultaneous copyright infringement claims.
As a result, the investigation has been demanding in terms of time and finances, and YouTube admitted it might be “unable to detect and prevent similar misconduct in the future.”
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