Like most people, we look to Kim Kardashian and Kanye when choosing digital file sharing services. Unfortunately, Megaupload's new promotional music video featuring the pair has been pulled by YouTube in what the company is characterizing as an abuse of power by Universal Music Group. Megaupload's colorful founder Kim Dotcom commissioned the original song and video, which features celebrities like West, will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx rapping their love for the service, as part of a new promotional campaign. However, YouTube took the video down Saturday afternoon due to a copyright claim from UMG. The video was restored after Megaupload filed a dispute, only to be pulled yet again — even though Dotcom claims there's no infringing content in the clip. "Those UMG criminals," he told TorrentFreak. "They are sending illegitimate takedown notices for content they don't own."

Despite the heated rhetoric and attempts to piggyback on SOPA and PIPA fears, it's hard to know whether to take Dotcom's outrage seriously — both because of the bizarre nature of the clip itself and because he's openly admitted the goal of the project was to create a viral video in the first place. As we've only heard Dotcom's voice in the debate thus far, we also can't say what UMG's reasons were, much less whether its actions were justified. Megaupload hasn't indicated that it is interested in pursuing legal options, saying only that "We reserve our rights to take legal action. But we'd like to give them the opportunity to apologize."

Maybe UMG can hire Fergie to handle it.

Thanks, alfadark!



