Share this article
Latest news
With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low
Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app
Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities
Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount
Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier
Microsoft ‘inadvertently’ targets YouTube videos for having stolen product keys in the comments section
2 min. read
Published onOctober 15, 2014
published onOctober 15, 2014
Share this article
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
Apparently, numerous people are receiving copyright infringement notices from Microsoft regarding videos uploaded to YouTube. This created a bit of fuss on the internet as people began wondering why Microsoft would issue these notices for videos that involved Windows 8, or various other Microsoft products.
Turns out, Microsoft targeted some of these videos for having stolen product keys embedded in the comments section. Microsoft had no intention of targeting legitimate YouTube content.
“While we are still investigating the recent YouTube takedown notices, it appears some of these videos were inadvertently targeted for removal because there were stolen product keys embedded in the comments section of the videos. Our intention was not to target legitimate YouTube content and we are sorry for the impact this has had. We have already taken steps to reinstate legitimate video content and are working towards a better solution to targeting stolen IP while respecting legitimate content.” – Microsoft spokesperson
We’re looking at the YouTube notices ASAP. It is NOT the intent to target great content!
— Microsoft News (@MSFTnews)October 15, 2014
And this statement makes perfect sense and brings this issue to light. Majority of the videos that were affected dealt with tutorials for Windows 8. In the comments section, there is always some idiot who will post a retail key or link to download a retail version of the operating system. I’ve personally caught these types of comments in stories we have written here and have removed them immediately.
Take Scott Hanselman for example, he is a Microsoft employee who posts helpful content on YouTube. He was also targeted with the copyright infringement notice — a process that is typically automated.
So Microsoft did a copyright takedown on my “How To use Windows 8.1”@youtubevideo. I kind of work for Microsoft.https://t.co/SDsFAJGbQr
— Scott Hanselman (@shanselman)October 14, 2014
I uploaded a YouTube video to help Windows users decide which version they wanted. You won’t believe what happened next!#Microstopped
— Chris Pirillo (@ChrisPirillo)October 14, 2014
So, if you were affected by this, now you know why. We highly suggest you check the comments section of your YouTube video content and remove the illegal comments.You can read our original story about this issue right here.
Radu Tyrsina
Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).
For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.
Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Radu Tyrsina
