YouTube, Kontor New Media and their bogus Content ID Claims [Updated]

So I recently had a video of mine flagged for containing the music of another artist, which was surprising for me, considering I wrote the original music featured in the video.

It’s the video of the ‘countdown’ from Straight to the ‘Art, the installation I created with Olivia Ilic back in 2009. The automatic Content ID thought it sounded like “I Know You Are, But What Am I?” by Mogwai, which actually sounds like this:

Both pieces have a repeated C# played continuously on the beat, albeit on completely different instruments. But I understand how the automatic Content ID software would have confused this as an incorrect match. So I disputed the copyright infringement notice, citing the reasons and logic above. I got this response:

These content owners have reviewed your video and confirmed their claims to some or all of its content:
Entity: PIAS, Kontor New Media, and Beggars Content Type: Sound Recording
These content owners have reviewed your video and agreed with your dispute:
Entity: Kontor New Media Content Type: Sound Recording
Entity: Believe Content Type: Sound Recording
Entity: WMG Content Type: Sound Recording

So now because ‘PIAS, Kontor New Media, and Beggars’ whoever the hell they are have decided to uphold their claim that they were right in the first place, I am denied ad revenue from that video. Not only that, THEY collect the ad revune to any views of my video and the video has an attribution and link to Mogwai.

How. Fucking. Dare they. Of course, the record companies get the last word, so there isn’t an option for me to ‘counter dispute’ their claim, instead I have to just send an email to YouTube’s copyright department in the hope that they will remove this.

Which I have done, and am awaiting a response. In my email, apart from spelling out the above, I added information about the development of this piece of music, in that it is a ‘countdown’ version of the original music from the installation:

And that this piece of music is itself a reworking of an earlier piece of mine, which was an experiment in forging together the musical language of two very different electronic artists – Ryoji Ikeda, the crazy Japanese born ultra minimalist loved by experimental theatre practitioners everywhere, and David Lowe, the broadcast film and TV composer who created the much loved BBC News ‘pips’ themes. Incidentally, Low On Rye (get it???)  is a bonus final track on my film music compilation album, which is available on Google Play, Spotify, iTunes and Amazon. But I’ll let you listen to the track here because I’m a swell guy:

UPDATE: After emailing YouTube, who in turn gave me the email address for Kantor, the claim was released. But then when I tried to re-enable the clip for monetisation, again it was flagged as containing content that wasn’t mine, and I’m yet again waiting for the claim to be released!

UPDATE 2: Well it keeps happening, no sooner have a fought a false ID by having to deal directly with the publishing company and they release the claim, another company immediately leeches on.

UPDATE 3: Over 2 years since originally publishing this article, this video continues to be hit by incorrect Content ID claims on YouTube. The most recent one I am currently disputing is from Kantor New Media again. This is what the Copyright Dispute looks like for this one video alone:

Full list of YouTube's Content ID Claims on my music

18 thoughts on “YouTube, Kontor New Media and their bogus Content ID Claims [Updated]

  1. I shouldn’t laugh but sadly i am as i feel your frustration. I’m in exactly the same boat as you as Kontor are making a claim on my tunes and i’m getting the same results as you. I’ve just thrown a curve ball in their direction by informing the cyber crime unit at the FBI about this, after all it’s fraud we are talking about plus theft of advertising revenue so i’ll see where that goes. Currently going through the Youtube claims procedure myself, and they are accessories to fraud in this by having a deeply flawed system like ContendID in the first place. I feel your pain my friend even though i don’t know who you are but something needs to be done and i’m at the front of the queue with my lance and shield in hand because these thieving arseholes need to be stopped

  2. I can one-up your story…

    I had a drum track that was identified as a completely unrelated song by Kontor. The song I was supposedly using without permission barely had drums, much less a similar sounding drum track.

    I filed a dispute. I think I will end up back at Vimeo. We really have no recourse.

  3. I am the exclusive Producer and right holder of the Punjabi feature film `Yaar Pardesi’, but time and again this Kontor New Media is putting its claims on the contents. I have requested Youtube for their address but to no avail. This is a bogus company and some crooks are operating under this name.

  4. I’m glad I’m not alone in this. Kontor new media claimed audio copyrights for a piece of video art of mine that contained a) noise b) a frequency and c) a distorted clock-ticking sample that is CC licensed and properly attributed. My dispute was rejected, linking to a ballad by some band that contains none of the above (not that they could copyright noises or frequencies anyway).

    I don’t know if I should remove the video in question, so that they at least stop profiting from it, but I’m certainly not uplading anything else to youtube. I think I’ll also e-mail the band, letting them know how their representatives are stealing other people’s works.

  5. Not content with preying on original pieces, these vultures are also laying their greasy claws on Public Domain material…

    [YouTube clip removed]

    Never mind that this was recorded over 90 years ago……. they wanna squeeze every filthy penny they can out of it – to the extent of BLOCKING the video.

    Something has GOT to change!

  6. Posted this on the discogs site

    This is a request to have this label fully reviewed to ensure that its operations on youtube are legit. Apparently this label Is making False claims to copyright material and claiming revenue from it. For such a big label I’m surprised how short the release list is I would’ve expected 100’s of compilations of their claimed licensed material.
    this post serves as a review towards concern about the Labels operations.

  7. I’m having the same problem today, for a video that has been on YouTube for 3 years. I own 100% all copyrights, since I wrote the song and play all instruments. It’s released on my own label, and my son shot the video. So this stupid German company ‘Kontor New Media’ can just jump in the ocean….

  8. Pingback: This artist’s music was ripped off for profit and DMCA saves the day… for now | PandoDaily

  9. My own extra exciting moment with them: someone they allegedly represent made a dance remix of a video I put up. So far, so meh, I’m not going to be a dick about that. KNM then made three claims that the video that predated their remixes infringed the samples that their artist had used without asking. I don’t even.

  10. A letter to Anna-Clara Blixt Modin, CEO, Ubetoo acb@ubetoo.com&Subject=Ubetoo+Business

    I am not normally a rude person, so please forgive what I’m about to say….

    On your FAQ Page, you say to just ignore Kontor, but if they have permission from you to make false claims, that means you’re responsible for this head-ache I and a lot of other people are going thru, correct?

    I mean, this is ridiculous, I made my music in my Magix Music Maker! There is no way in Heaven, Earth, or Hell that they OWN something I CREATED! But, there is the question of why they would do this….You say because of your new security system! What gives you the right to invade and inconvenience my and many other peoples lives by causing all this discord and discontent. Is this your way of saying “Hi, there!” or something.

    I and many other people are a little pissed off about this inconvenience.

    Thru researching, I found that they put claim to a 90 year old song… WHAT?
    They wrote a song 90 years ago? Is this a joke, because no one out here is laughing at it… unless these people are 120 years old! Are they? In which case, Major, Major Respect to you and yours! 🙂

    http://youtu.be/fYOwwY7rU_U …..that is the link to my song being questioned!
    I know there’s millions of songs out there. I know because I have written many of them in my life, but NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I EVER BEEN ACCUSED OF BEING A PLAGIARIZER… until now! Thank you so fucking much, for not only upsetting my life, my mood, and Good Standing on Youtube, but hurting my pride, as well!
    And I know I speak for many other people, so please explain to me how you are going to make amends to everybody you’ve hurt!

    sincerely, Perplexia X

    I tried to send this letter to her directly, but guess what? That’s right, I couldn’t, (talk about the good old run-around), so I sent it to the company itself. I am still waiting for a reply 5 days later.

    Are you as shocked as I am at this? And I’d like to know how to contact Youtube directly, as well!

  11. I posted this on my site today…

    Well, folks, IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN! It seems to me, that my site
    IS BEING MONITIZED, AGAINST MY WILL, by someone (or something),
    WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!
    I now have the capability to create my own custom thumbnails,
    WHICH IS GREAT….but I didn’t monitize my site, and, as far as I know,
    the only way to do that is to monitize the site, or become a Partner…

    I HAVE DONE NEITHER OF THOSE… I just want to enjoy giving feedback
    and receiving feedback from other composers on Youtube… and, of course,
    surfing the net, etc., and here’s the funny thing…
    This didn’t happen, until after I made it clear in a statement saying
    I’ll probably never do that!!!

    Now, I know I’m not that good of a musician, but apparently,
    for some unknown reason,
    SOMEONE DOESN’T WANT ME ON YOUTUBE!
    Or, THEY ARE REAPING THE BENEFITS OF MY WORK,
    BECAUSE I DIDN’T AUTHORIZE ANY OF THIS!
    In my research thus far, apparently I have no way of stopping this,
    except to close down my site.

    DO YOU BELIEVE THIS? Apparently, if someone accuses you of
    copyright infringement, (which is ridiculous, I just happen to have the
    same Magix program he has) they can monitize your site,
    and collect the revenues without giving you a red cent of it.

    In other words, THEY HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO STEAL FROM YOU!

    THIS IS INSANE!!! I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG! (to my knowledge!)

    I just happened to buy a music program that he also bought,
    but somehow or another,
    “I” CAN’T USE IT FOR WHAT IT WAS INTENDED FOR
    (you know, making music, and then posting it on Youtube)……BUT HE CAN!?!

    Can’t anyone help me with this? All I need is that one piece of advice!
    _______________

    and I’m still waiting on responses from Ubetoo, and Kontor!

  12. I have the same trouble with this company Kontor new Media in Hamburg: i posted a Video (the footage and the music was produced by me) at YouTube at august 2013 an now this company claimed 30 seconds of my music for a record of them (published 2015!!)

  13. Me too I made my own crappy music in the Music Maker Jam program that came with my computer so I would have to deal with this.

  14. I’m in the same boat I made a video and they claimed a song that apparently is in the video when I literally have the files that say otherwise stupid companies preying on small youtubers for money and views

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