YouTube took down two lo-fi streams by mistake after receiving false copyright complaints
Anyone who is an active YouTube user has probably come across “Lo-Fi Girl,” an animation that is the background of a lo-fi hip hop live stream with millions of views. However, last Saturday, the 10th, YouTube took down the videos “lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax/study to” and “beats to sleep/chill to.” (via dazed)
Airing since 2015, the videos featured a 24-hour loop with calm lo-fi beats to study or relax with background animations that totaled 797,341,998 views. The channel had a large loyal fan base, who were concerned when the clips were removed from YouTube.
The Lofi Girl account posted on Twitter that the videos were removed due to copyright complaints – if a channel receives too many complaints, it can be removed permanently. In response, YouTube admitted that it removed the videos because of the false copyright complaints, noting that it can take up to 48 hours for the videos to return to the platform.
confirmed the takedown requests were abusive & terminated the claimants account 😔 we’ve resolved the strikes + reinstated your vids – it can sometimes take 24-48 hours for everything to be back to normal! so sorry this happened & thx for your patience as we sorted it out ❤️🩹
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) July 11, 2022
This isn’t the first time the “Lo-Fi Girl” has been taken down by copyright. In 2020, YouTube accidentally removed the channel for violating the Terms of Service, then admitting it was a platform error. While in 2017 the video was also removed for using a GIF from the movie Whispers of the Heart (1995), but soon afterwards the image was replaced by what it is today.
As of the publication of this note, the live broadcast of the videos continues to be interrupted. However, the last live is saved on the channel, with a total of more than 20 thousand hours.
Source: Rollingstone
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
