AĀ Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice sent by the Walt Disney Company earlier this week seems to have truly awakened The Force, and now the companyĀ can’t seem to decide if it wants to be on the light side or the dark side.
Marjorie and Arnie Carvalho run Star Wars Action News, a podcast about Star Wars collectibles. Earlier this week,Ā SW Action News staffer Justin KozisekĀ purchased an action figure of “Rey” in an Iowa Walmart. The figure, which hasn’t been seen elsewhere, was presumablyĀ put on the shelves by accident ahead of its official release date.Ā AnĀ image of the figure was posted on the SW Action News Facebook pageāand promptly subjected to a wave of DMCA takedown demands by Lucasfilm. Many of thoseĀ who had spreadĀ the image on social media were also subject to copyrightĀ claims.
Marjorie Carvalho didn’tĀ just complain, though. She wrote a polite e-mail to the Disney companyĀ e-mail address listed in her DMCA notice, explaining exactly what happened. While CarvalhoĀ didn’t get a direct reply, her messageĀ seemed to have worked. Last night her account got a late e-mail from FacebookĀ stating that “The Walt Disney Company has retracted their intellectual property report.”
“All we did was write a letter, and a few hours later, it was retracted,” she said in an interview with Ars this morning, pleased with the result. “It pays to take the high road and get your facts in order, rather than overreacting. IĀ feel good about it, and it’s nice that they’re recognizing they made a mistake.”
Images of the figureĀ still abound elsewhere, for instance inthis “pre-order” eBay listing. (Before searching or clicking on that link, note that some hard-core fans consider Rey’s costume in this figureĀ to have “spoiler” elements to it.) HaTTiP
