Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Disable Trump Video Tribute to Floyd Over Copyright Complaint

It was not clear what copyright image prompted the complaint.

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 6 June 2020 12:17 IST
Highlights
  • The three-minute 45-second video is still on Trump's YouTube channel
  • Floyd's death last week has lead to nationwide protests
  • The clip has garnered more than 1.4 million views

Twitter has been under fierce scrutiny from Trump ever since it fact-checked one of his tweet

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram disabled US President Donald Trump's campaign tribute video to George Floyd on their platforms on Friday, citing copyright complaints. The clip, which shows photos and videos of protest marches and instances of violence in the aftermath of the death of Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota, has Trump speaking in the background.

It was not clear what copyright image prompted the complaint, but California lawyer Sam Koolaq told Politico his firm submitted copyright complaints to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Koolaq did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

Advertisement

Floyd's death last week after a fatal encounter with a police officer has led to nationwide protests.

Late Friday, Trump criticised the removal by Twitter. "They are fighting hard for the Radical Left Democrats. A one sided battle. Illegal," he wrote on Twitter.

Advertisement

Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey responded in a tweet, "Not true and not illegal"

"This was pulled because we got a DMCA complaint from copyright holder," Dorsey added.

Advertisement

The social media site said it responds "to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorized representatives."

Facebook, which owns photo and video-sharing network Instagram, said it removed the post after receiving the creator's copyright complaint under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Advertisement

"Organisations that use original art shared on Instagram are expected to have the right to do so," Facebook said in a statement.

The three-minute, 45-second video was tweeted by Trump's campaign on Wednesday. It was also uploaded on Trump's YouTube channel and his campaign's Facebook page. The clip has garnered more than 1.4 million views on YouTube and Facebook combined.

YouTube's parent, Alphabet, said the video the Trump campaign uploaded was not identical to the one uploaded to Twitter. The content identified in the copyright complaint was not present and the site did not remove the video, YouTube said.

Twitter has been under fierce scrutiny from the Trump administration since it fact-checked Trump's tweets about unsubstantiated claims of mail-in voting fraud. It also labelled a Trump tweet about protests in Minneapolis as "glorifying violence."

Trump has pledged to introduce legislation that may scrap or weaken a law that shields social media companies from liability for content posted by their users.

In the past, Twitter has taken down at least two of Trump's videos that had music from the soundtrack of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" and Nickelback's "Photograph."

© Thomson Reuters 2020


OnePlus 8 vs Mi 10 5G: Which Is the Best 'Value Flagship' Phone in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 Launched in India With 10,200mAh Battery
  2. Vivo TWS 5i Launched in China With Up to 50 Hours of Total Battery Life
  3. OnePlus Buds Ace 3 Launched With Up to 54 Hours of Total Battery Life
  4. Here's How Much the Xiaomi 17T and Xiaomi 17T Pro Could Cost
  5. Happy Raj Now Available For Streaming Online: What You Need to Know
  6. Nothing's Essential Space Now Supports Backup, Syncing Across Your Devices
  1. James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Cosmic Buckyballs in Distant Nebula
  2. OnePlus Buds Ace 3 Launched With Up to 55dB ANC, Up to 54 Hours of Total Battery Life: Price, Features
  3. Remake of First Assassin's Creed Game Said to Be in the Works at Ubisoft
  4. GoBoult Rave Q5, Rave Q10 Launched in India Alongside New Groove Series Speakers: Price, Features
  5. Israel's Regulatory Authority Approves Shekel-Pegged Stablecoin After Pilot on Solana Blockchain
  6. Nothing's Essential Space Updated With Cloud Storage for Data Backup, Sync Across Handsets
  7. OnePlus Ace 6 Ultra Launched With MediaTek Dimensity 9500 Chip Alongside Controller Accessory: Price, Features
  8. Xiaomi 17T, Xiaomi 17T Pro Price and Colour Options Leaked Ahead of Anticipated Debut
  9. Motorola Razr 70 Series Design, Colour Options Revealed in Fresh Leak
  10. Samsung Exynos 2700 Will Reportedly Feature New SoC, DRAM Packaging for Improved Thermal Management
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.