D&D (2024) D&D Player's Handbook Video Redactions & Takedowns

There's a lot of YouTube videos looking at the brand new Player's Handbook right now, and some of them include the YouTuber in question flipping through the new book on screen. A couple of those video creators have been asked by WotC to redact some of the content of their videos, with one finding that their video had been taken down entirely due to copyright claims from the company. It appears to be the folks who are flipping through the whole book on-screen who are running into this issue which, it seems, is based on piracy concerns.

Jorphdan posted on Twitter that "Despite fulfilling [WotC's] requests for the flip through video I was issues a copyright strike on my channel. Three strikes TERMINATES your channel. I don't think going over the 2024 PHB is worth losing my channel I've been working on since 2017. I'm pretty upset as none of this was said up front and when notified I did comply with their requirements. And I see other creators still have their videos up. Videos that are not unlike mine. Covering WotC is not worth losing my channel... Meanwhile please subscribe to my D&D free channel the Jocular Junction, where I'll most likely be making the majority of my TTRPG videos."

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Mike Shea, aka Sly Flourish, also posted a walkthrough of the Player's Handbook. While he didn't receive a copyright takedown action, after an email from WotC he has blurred out all the page images. "Note, I blurred out pictures of the book after Hasbro sent me an email saying they worried people would take screenshots of the book and build their own. Yes, it's complete b******t, but we must all do our part to ensure four billion dollar companies maximize shareholder value."

Popular YouTuber DnD Shorts had a video entitled 100% Walkthrough of the New Player's Handbook in D&D. That video is no longer available. However, his full spoilers review is still online.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Have you seen the scalpers selling the GenCon PHB on Ebay? They go for around $175 - the highest I saw being around $300.

That is shockingly low. I guess the demand just isn't there. That obviously doesn't mean the 2024 PHB won't sell well on full release, but it clearly doesn't have the psycho levels of hype some stuff has had. I would have expected $500 at a dead minimum (assuming they're just generic PHBs, nothing GenCon-specific etc. - I'd expect higher if the latter).

That might be good because it also probably means people won't get psycho upset about it if they don't love everything about it or it takes them a while to get around to getting the 2024 edition, but it is interesting.

 

[Morrus]

At least one of the reviewers (or maybe it was just a comment here) suggested they were trying to hide the art from people who hadn't bought it, at least the art they haven't explicitly previewed.

Huge grain of salt on that. Not saying it's true.

Clearly. It's patently silly.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Sounds like the legal department going off half-cocked or the legal department going after someone and the YouTube copyright system then flagging everyone else.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Have you seen the scalpers selling the GenCon PHB on Ebay? They go for around $175 - the highest I saw being around $300.

Is that for or against my assertion? I'm confused.

 

[Parmandur]

Seems that WotC did not consider that many YouTubers wouldn't understand fair use, but several of the ore useful reviews (such as Treantmonk or the Dungeon Dudes) knew how to avoid this ahead of time.

 

[Parmandur]

Sounds like the legal department going off half-cocked or the legal department going after someone and the YouTube copyright system then flagging everyone else.

It sounds like several of these creators received a pre-takedown request from WotC informally and took the appropriate action without YouTube needing to get involved.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Sounds like the legal department going off half-cocked or the legal department going after someone and the YouTube copyright system then flagging everyone else.

My guess would be going off half-cocked given there appears to be highly inconsistent action taken even against similar videos, with some people getting emails, others getting copyright strikes, etc.

It sounds like several of these creators received a pre-takedown request from WotC informally and took the appropriate action without YouTube needing to get involved.

Several? I'm only aware of one reporting that.

Even if it is more than one, it sounds like it was inconsistent, and/or that the waiting period was pretty short, because I know some YouTubers, and no-one, and I mean NO-ONE takes a copyright strike they don't have to on their main channel or the like. Like, if they gave people say, a few hours or even twelve hours, that's not always going to be enough time, especially if they did it on a summer weekend.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Seems that WotC did not consider that many YouTubers wouldn't understand fair use, but several of the ore useful reviews (such as Treantmonk or the Dungeon Dudes) knew how to avoid this ahead of time.

YouTube often does not understand fair use and it used to be possible for anyone to issue a copyright strike, at least form some case a couple of years ago. All you needed was an email address. YouTube may have made it harder since.

 

[Parmandur]

YouTube often does not understand fair use and it used to be possible for anyone to issue a copyright strike, at least form some case a couple of years ago. All you needed was an email address. YouTube may have made it harder since.

Probably not, knowing Alphabet. So the copyright strike could be from anywhere, from WotC, from YouTube proactively scanning videos, from some random weirdo...

That would explain why some creators got polite requests from WotC and others got takedown if it is not WotC even issuing the strikes...

 

[overgeeked]

DND Shorts' video was taken down. He did a full flip through with the PDF he was given. Every page. It took a few hours for people to screenshot every spread and post that as a PDF.

It makes sense WotC is trying to protect their stuff. But it would make more sense to sell actual PDFs instead of stupidly going after your own fans. Refusing to sell PDFs only costs WotC money. It doesn't prevent any piracy. At best is slows it down by a few hours or days.