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.

 

[mellored]

Did you read what they sent to @SlyFlourish ?

"Hasbro sent me an email saying they worried people would take screenshots".

Was there something else that said he could show the book?

 

[Eric V]

"Hasbro sent me an email saying they worried people would take screenshots".

Was there something else that said he could show the book?

Post #377, the bolded part.

 

[mellored]

Post #377, the bolded part.

I can see how that could cause confusion.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

If you think any corporation puts the needs of anyone above the shareholders you are going to have your heart broken every day of your life.

This is true. It is also short-sighted and backward-thinking. The shareholders ultimately lose out when their customers turn from their products after too much abuse. Conversely, the shareholders benefit from a company that is seen as generous and supportive of its base.

 

[Arilyn]

You Tubers getting preview copies to show to their followers is very common. It is so common, most you tubers cannot preview them all, so usually choose ones they are excited about. Many of these copies have not yet released or just released.

Flipping through the pages showing off the art and layout is normal and expected. That's the whole point. WotC gave no instructions to the You Tubers, other than waiting until Aug. 1. Since the books were being sold at GenCon, there was no way anyone would think to treat WotC any differently.

Perhaps WotC didn't either, thus no instructions. Then Hasbro had a fit? If a mistake was made, it's all on Hasbro/WotC. Retroactively sending instructions is too late and looks bad. Companies should never blame or "punish" customers and partners for their own errors.

 

[KYRON45]

This is true. It is also short-sighted and backward-thinking. The shareholders ultimately lose out when their customers turn from their products after too much abuse. Conversely, the shareholders benefit from a company that is seen as generous and supportive of its base.

I agree with you completely. But the shareholders can dump their shares and move on to the next new shiny. The employees on the other hand....

 

[Retreater]

And if you do, don't post a video of you flipping though their pages.

I wouldn't do that.
But - you know - I've seen some fairly deep-dive videos into the rules of other systems.
Like showing Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder 2 and combat examples on Foundry VTT. Stuff that's just not available for D&D.
Scrolling through the PDF to show how to build characters in Fabula Ultimate. Again, stuff that's just not available for D&D.

Sure, there's a legitimate reason to complain about someone showing every page, striking reviewers who operated in good faith (and within the bounds of Fair Use), is not a good look. And I won't be supporting their company.
I'd already stopped purchasing new 5E products. Now I won't even get OOP previous edition titles on DMs Guild.
I'm just very done with WotC.

 

[Minigiant]

You Tubers getting preview copies to show to their followers is very common. It is so common, most you tubers cannot preview them all, so usually choose ones they are excited about. Many of these copies have not yet released or just released.

Flipping through the pages showing off the art and layout is normal and expected. That's the whole point. WotC gave no instructions to the You Tubers, other than waiting until Aug. 1. Since the books were being sold at GenCon, there was no way anyone would think to treat WotC any differently

I think the issue was one or two individuals flipping through every page slowly. Some suggesting on purpose.

That's is beyond fair use for any sensible, responsible, or knowledgeable journalist. This is likely why WOTC was so vague. WOTC likely never though someone would actually do that. It never happened for other books.

The unlikely act likely triggered a certain department or outsource contractor of WOTC. And since WOTC is a big dumb corporation, it lumbered and crushed. Because that's what big dumb corp does.

That's why poking the bear to be should be discouraged by the community. Because the bear will maul everything around.

 

[Cergorach]

These extreme actions by WotC/Hasbro legal and management tend to come from people that don't (want to) understand how piracy works. The moment they release the book on DDB, it's going to be ripped to a pdf, the moment they sell one of the books, ship one of the books to reviewers, etc. There only needs to be one person that gets their hands on it (not the intended recepient and scans it. If the review copies all have watermarks, they can just OCR the text and distribute that without the watermarks. There are so many holes in the distribution scheme of the PHB that on one hand they want to have the marketing hype cake, but heavy highhandedly try to squash anything that looks like too much distribution...

I wonder if no one at WotC remembers the run up to 3E, this site started that way, as a collection point of all those rumors. We were playing D&D 3E before it even came out, just based on all the rumors that were collected here. It hyped us up for 3E and we all dived into D&D again after a decent 2E hiatus. I wonder what would have happened to D&D if they killed ENworld back when it was still a babe... I suspect a LOT of us would have lost all their enthusiasm... But chances are big that no one from 25 years ago still works at current WotC (after all those holiday firings)..

I already have my preorders in for the Foundry VTT PHB/DMG/MM, so I'm committed. None of my group would have bought the PHB before first having a look at my virtual books in our VTT. I won't buy the physical books before looking at my digital copies either...

 

[mellored]

This is true. It is also short-sighted and backward-thinking. The shareholders ultimately lose out when their customers turn from their products after too much abuse. Conversely, the shareholders benefit from a company that is seen as generous and supportive of its base.

Not if they are quick enough.

1: Buy stock.
2: force the company to hype something without spending resources to actually makeing a good product.
3: Sell stock, and be gone before the reviews come in.

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