It's come to my attention that there's a nationwide operation to save online videos of vocaloid legend Hatsune Miku.
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=th00.deviantart.net%2Ffs70%2F200H%2Fi%2F2012%2F105%2Fa%2F3%2F_save_miku__by_otakulover08-d4wbkkz.jpg)
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=fc01.deviantart.net%2Ffs71%2Fi%2F2012%2F036%2F3%2Fe%2Fdon__t_let_her_vanish_by_nikoman3344-d4orbad.jpg)
One such site in support of this states the following ( http://savemiku.wikia.com/wiki/Save_Miku_English_Wiki )
QuoteSomeone (investigated by fans of Hatsune Miku) who doesn't like Hatsune Miku (and other Vocaloids, too) getting popular in the world is deleting her high ranked videos with English titles. To do it, they make reports that the videos are infringing a copyright. To the best of our knowledge many such reports are false.
We don't know who is doing this. As this is happening on a massive scale, it is likely that an organized group or several groups are behind this.
The uploaders are not always able to understand the copyright status of the works, and so they often can not file counter-notifications even when the claims are obviously fake.
Miku fan volunteers in Japan and worldwide are investigating the situation. We try to work out the real copyright permissions of the attacked videos. Eventually, we hope to find a way for communication across the language barrier that would give Western fans clear guidelines in posting any reuploads and translations. Or NOT posting them if the real copyright holder - not some impostor - is against this action.
A Western fan has started to create this Wiki on February 5, 2012, for information in English and other languages. Japanese people who crated 2 other original Wiki joined to create in English and Japanese. A Japanese Wiki opened earlier, but at this moment (February 13, 2012) it is temporary closed. The heat was too much for the original wiki and it closed. This Oversea Wiki is one of three original Wiki. This Oversea Wiki appears to be the oldest surviving in Save Miku community.
Apparently there is also some movement to downplay the situation, as one source on that same webpage states:
QuoteThere is no immediate danger of a "disappearing Miku"!
Please DO NOT overreact about the deletions of YouTube video. We are interested in INVESTIGATION first, to understand what is going on.
We all need to listen to the opinion of original Producers (P) of videos. Some Producers may be against Western reprints/translations. This depends on the opinion of the Producer; there is no single "P viewpoint" and every producer may have their own views.
It is possible to recover videos if we know for sure that the producer supports it. ONLY in this case, the uploader can file a counter-notification.
Is this another COH? Or is this someone crying wolf?
I'm going to say wolf. I have a number of vocaloids on one of my Pandora channels.
Actually it sounds a bit like the new copyright flagging code the YouTube recently activated may be flagging these videos now and bring them to the attention of the copyright owners who's legal department file DCMA requests.
There have been cases where DMCA trolls have abused YouTube's system in the past to try and get rid of Vocaloid videos. I remember something like this happening a few years ago over ... I forget what it was exactly, but Vocaloid videos were a target.