Sony Tried to Screw Indie Filmmakers Over Their Crappy Film ‘Pixels’

Entura had invoked the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in demanding the removal of the offending films, apparently contending that the mere use of the word “pixels” in the titles constituted copyright infringement. Because the films do not contain copyrighted material — Pantone Pixels, for example, is an experimental art film, first published in 2011 –- and because, under U.S law, titles themselves are not copyrightable, Entura realized the weakness of its position and retreated.

The haphazard nature of its attack against supposed copyright infringement became apparent when it was pointed out that Entura had included in its takedown notice, Pixels Official Trailer (2015) – Adam Sandler, Peter Dinklage. That’s right — Columbia’s own trailer for Pixels, Entura alleged, infringed on Columbia’s copyright.

This is not the first time Sony has aggressively acted in pursuing copyright infringement. In 2014, it demanded that YouTube remove indie filmmaker Colin Levy’s short film Sintel from its site, alleging the use of unauthorized material. YouTube at first complied, but soon thereafter restored the film to its site after Sony’s claims were proved to be without merit.

With such a track record, one might think Vimeo would be a bit more skeptical of any takedown notices sent by Entura on Sony’s behalf. It would be nice to think that Vimeo puts the interests of the filmmakers on its site before folding in the face of such an assault on the right of free expression.

Unfortunately, it is often simply easier for a company such as Vimeo, or even YouTube, to comply with the demands of large corporations stacked with their armies of attorneys, rather than to take them on at their own risk. As always, it is up to the filmmakers themselves to protect their rights, knowing no one else will do it for them.