The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the Universal Music Group had erred in a copyright takedown of a 2007 YouTube video of an infant dancing to a Prince Song. The judges found that Universal had not adequately considered fair use before its action. (Ars Technica, September 14, 21015, by Joe Mullin)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation who represented the mother in the “dancing baby” lawsuit said the ruling had important ramifications in blocking censorship of free speech. During political campaigns, candidates and other copyright holders use the copyright law in an attempt to remove criticism from the Internet that includes short clips of campaign appearances. (EFF, September 14, 2015, press release)
With the case nearly ten years running, the ruling vindicated the mother who held that the use of the song was harmless and legal. Universal said it would be unfair to require them to conduct long and expensive inquiries before issuing takedown letters. (Contra Costa Times, September 14, 2015, by Howard Mintz)