Tags: YouTube »»»» Right to Repair
Is YouTube moving against Right to Repair activists who post "repair videos"? In the last couple days, YouTube shut down the Jordan Pier channel because of supposed repeated violations of terms of service and copyright. Going by reports, this channel had been in operation since 2006 and contained videos about repairing vintage electronics. The fellow running the channel owns a shop in San Diego specializing in vintage electronics repair. Which makes one go WTF HOW COULD THAT INVOLVE ANY COPYRIGHT VIOLATION?
Attached below are two videos going over the situation. Namely that a YouTube channel that focuses on repairing electronics has been shut down. The circumstances look like a heavy-handed move on YouTube's part that amount to a form of censorship. Going by reports the channel was not abusive nor violating any norms of any kinds. Folks are instead afraid that it is a salvo in the ongoing war against right to repair information.
That is - the worry is that if all sources of "repair" tutorials is shut down, then the population will have no clue about how to repair things. The result would be for corporations to have even stricter control, because the population would have fewer recourses when things break other than to buy a new thing rather than repair the broken thing.
The channel in question is associated with Classic Audio Repair, a vintage electronics repair shop in San Diego. See the
Facebook page for the company, and their website. The
Social Blade profile for Jordan Pier showed a steadily growing following, and a couple thousand views per day. That should be the sort of channel that YouTube wants to survive.
In comments on the videos attached here we learn that Jordan was a fine upstanding person, did not swear or anything like that in his videos, and instead focused on the task of showing folks how to repair things. The videos were clearly meant to promote the business he was part of.
There are plenty of other folks making repair videos. One prominent person who focuses on repairing MacBook logic boards, Louis Rossman, has been clear in some of his videos that his videos have been an excellent promotional tool for his business.
I have found this type of video very instructive and helpful. Thanks to certain repair videos I've been able to do digital camera repairs, computer repairs, etc. So far YouTube has been an excellent resource for this kind of information.
But at the same time there is a wide scale back-lash against repairable products, and against the right to repair. All kinds of companies have shifted to selling unrepairable widgets. And the act of sharing how to repair things seems to be fought by those companies claiming DMCA violations.
On interpretation is dark - that Marantz or some other audio equipment company that had sold this equipment came across these videos and contacted YouTube. Therefore it's a direct attack on Right to Repair.
A more forgiving interpretation is suggested in one of these attached videos. Namely that a simple mistake was made, and that contacting YouTube will cause a positive response. In support of that interpretation it should be noted that the channel in question hadn't received many videos recently, because the Classic Audio Repair business was moving to a new location and the guy creating the videos was too busy with the move.
Jordan Pier jpdylon Terminated By Youtube A Mistake Hitachi CWU220 Color TV Analysis
Youtube DELETED Jordan Pier's Electronics Repair Channel!
