Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 29, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
As the New York Times reports, some of the videos had already been removed from the platform again on April 16 after the film studio reported a copyright infringement. In the meantime, a few of the cartoons in question have reappeared on YouTube. Neither company has yet confirmed whether Warner or YouTube attempted to remove the racist animated films, which have been kept under wraps for 40 years and are known as the “Censored 11”, from the video site.
US YouTube spokesman Ricardo Reyes told the New York Times that the portal relies on rights holders to identify copyright infringements. The platform also depends on users when it comes to offensive, questionable content. “If people don’t complain, the videos stay online,” said Reyes. However, once a copyright infringement has been identified, YouTube would remove the videos in question very quickly. Warner, for its part, commented on the racist cartoons in an email. “Warner Brothers holds the rights to the titles in question. We vigorously protect all our rights and make no distinctions based on content,” it read.
The cartoons caused debate even before their first release in 1943. At the time, however, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) protested unsuccessfully against their public screening. One of the YouTube users who posted some of the racist cartoons has so far declined to give his real name. Under his nickname WMAV01, however, he wrote in an email that the “cartoons have never been banned by law and have historical value”. He said he had discovered the videos on other websites such as foundrymusic.com, which belongs to a radio programme. The cartoons are also available to buy as DVD copies on banned-cartoons.com.
So far, both Warner and YouTube have focused primarily on the copyright question in this case. Both companies have held back from commenting on the content itself and how to handle it. “As a matter of principle, Warner Bros. consistently takes action against copyright infringements, regardless of the specific title and content. It also makes no difference whether the works are old or new. The platform used for illegal distribution is likewise irrelevant,” a Warner Brothers spokesman reiterated in response to an enquiry from pressetext. Michael Barrier, author and expert on the historical development of animation and cartoons, believes the videos should be presented thoughtfully to an intelligent, adult audience.
