Nintendo blocking YouTube videos over copyright claims is nothing new, but their latest wave, which targeted clips with music from Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, and Mario Kart Wii, has gotten lots of attention due to the ongoing outrage.
Nintendo has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately. It started when they forced a highly anticipated Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament to be canceled due to a third-party tool.
The spotlight has been on them ever since. They’ve been criticized over everything from allegedly blocking videos of Super Smash Bros mods on YouTube to stopping Joycon designs sold for charity.
Now, they’ve come under fire yet again for taking down YouTube videos with music from Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, and Mario Kart Wii. It’s nothing new. Nintendo has been doing it for years, and they’re well within their rights to.
However, it’s led to more scrutiny over their practices and left fans wondering why there still isn’t a better and more official way to listen to music from their favorite Nintendo games.
GilvaSunner is a YouTuber known for uploading soundtracks from video games, mostly Nintendo. Understandably, he’s had many videos taken down over the years due to copyright claims.
In 2019, he posted a tweet that said, “Game over.” It includes a screenshot with emails from YouTube telling him that some videos had been blocked due to copyright claims. However, he didn’t specifically mention it was Nintendo.
https://twitter.com/GilvaSunner/status/1161315671839522816?s=20
Now, more than a year later, he followed up on his initial tweet with an update. More videos have been taken down over copyright claims. He specifically mentioned it was Nintendo JP, although it cannot be seen in the screenshots.
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“The soundtracks for Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time and Mario Kart Wii have been blocked in its entirety on YouTube by Nintendo JP,” he said. “I’ll keep you posted if more claims come in.”
https://twitter.com/GilvaSunner/status/1336246347423494144?s=20
Nintendo fans have had mixed reactions. Some believe the company isn’t doing anything wrong, and it’s fundamental intellectual property law. Others argue that it’s more evidence of corporate greed.
Either way, the consensus is that this whole predicament has a simple solution. Nintendo needs to make the music from their game soundtracks more readily available and in a legal way.
“Please put your soundtracks on Spotify and/or other music streaming services,” said GilvaSunner. “Others have already seen the light, when will you?” It’s a sentiment that others share.
https://twitter.com/GilvaSunner/status/1161578292312453123?s=20
In the end, Nintendo taking down YouTube videos over copyright claims is standard practice. There isn’t anything wrong with it from a legal standpoint, either. But it has heaped more scrutiny on the company in an already fickle climate.
However, despite the militant tribalism on either side, a solution has been proposed, and it’s a viable one. Only time will tell whether Nintendo will take it on board.
