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."

​

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.

 

[Morrus]

One of the really nefarious things about this is that YouTube and Google are absolutely fine taking down channels or even killing whole accounts without proven justification. It's enough to just receive takedown notices to get them to block one's channel. So it's a four billion dollar company steering a trillion dollar company to smush independent creators like troublesome mosquitos.

Like I keep saying--you don't own your space on social media platforms and it can disappear (hi Google+!), be taken away from you, or plain ruined (hi Twitter!), and you have no control over that. That's why I always tell people to make sure they have a 'home base' fully owned and controlled by themselves.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Like I keep saying--you don't own your space on social media platforms and it can disappear (hi Google+!), be taken away from you, or plain ruined (hi Twitter!), and you have no control over that. That's why I always tell people to make sure they have a 'home base' fully owned and controlled by themselves.

Yep. You’re absolutely right. I recorded a “lets make a character” video that now I don’t intend to post on YouTube but will still be a podcast.

Unfortunately, when it comes to new people finding my work, YouTube accounts for 40% of that. It’s not all of it but it’s a good enough piece that it could, for example, dip the line on my patron from having more new people showing up than those who leave.

For me, there just isn’t an independent platform who brings in that kind of new audience.

 

[TiQuinn]

Like I keep saying--you don't own your space on social media platforms and it can disappear (hi Google+!), be taken away from you, or plain ruined (hi Twitter!), and you have no control over that. That's why I always tell people to make sure they have a 'home base' fully owned and controlled by themselves.

At the end of the day though, one’s own space is still dependent upon these platforms to be found at all.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

One of the really nefarious things about this is that YouTube and Google are absolutely fine taking down channels or even killing whole accounts without proven justification. It's enough to just receive takedown notices to get them to block one's channel.

From my understanding, if a platform receives a DMCA complaint and they don’t comply within a certain amount of time, they can become legally liable for the copyright infringement. So companies like YouTube generally comply instead of spending the time and resources it takes to check if the DMCA complaint is valid.

This has led to some corporations and people abusing DMCA complaints to shut down small content creators that don’t have the resources to fight them, because the hosting platforms will almost always comply with the complaint.

It’s a bad system that punishes smaller creators and enables abusing copyright claims. I imagine this would quickly become a problem if you can get kicked from the site from getting copyright claimed multiple times.

 

[billd91]

WotC are becoming very weird and paranoid recently.

Lately? How about since about 2008?
Honestly, I think they go in cycles based on how much filthy lucre they think they can get with a D&D edition. They clammed up on digital versions with 4e hoping to turn it into a cash cow. They didn't so much for 5e because they didn't really have the same expectations. Then 5e took off and now they're cracking down again as they, once again, try to leverage the game into a broader market of VTTs and lifestyle branding.

 

[Blackmoor_Film]

WoTC, masters of the "own goal"

I'd like to see the post own goal Celebration.

Do they all lift up their jerseys and is says 'Powned' underneath?

 

[mellored]

Selling copies (including ad revenue from video copied) of someone else's book is theft.

Doesn't matter of piracy will happen anyways, theft should be stopped where it can be stopped. Cancer exists, but we should try and stop that too.


"Here are my thoughts on the book" is fine You created those thoughts, they are your to share and sell.

"Here is the book" is not. You did not create the book.

 

[TiQuinn]

Selling copies (including ad revenue from video copied) of someone else's book is theft.

Doesn't matter of piracy will happen anyways, theft should be stopped where it can be stopped. Cancer exists, but we should try and stop that too.


"Here are my thoughts on the book" is fine You created those thoughts, they are your to share and sell.

"Here is the book" is not. You did not create the book.

Who has sold copies? Nobody involved in the matter has endorsed or attempted piracy.

 

[mellored]

Who has sold copies? Nobody involved in the matter has endorsed or attempted piracy.

Litterally putting a camera on it and scanning every page, and collecting ad / patron money.

Just because it was in .mp4 scan instead of a .pdf scan doesn't change the fact they where selling copies.


That's different that making your own thoughts.

 

[TiQuinn]

Litterally putting a camera on it and scanning every page, and collecting ad / patron money.

Just because it was in .mp4 scan instead of a .pdf scan doesn't change the fact they where selling copies.


That's different that making your own thoughts.

That is a very odd shifting of terminology and the goal posts in this conversation.