Comments on: The Downfall of Hitler Parodies: Videos Removed From YouTube in Copyright Action

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:29:00 +0000

Making fun of Hitler is making fun of the Holocaust. You can’t have it both ways.

By: kate-oz

kate-oz — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:21:30 +0000

Im not well read or that smart, im just an average Jane… but i feel the parodies are incredibly powerful,brilliant.
Especially the ” Hitler rings the angry german boy” -the boys screams at him “your an idiot your stupid,” etc .
Imagine how angry neo-nazis are at seeing there revered leader lampooned & made look weak & stupid.
The conventional Hitler legacy seems to me to give Hilter too much power/awe still.

Belittling Hilter is the best way to deflate the”evil genius” mystique that some try to uphold even today.
( In my view, of course the concentration camps are sacred -off limits to comedy/parody) Respectfully kate.

By: Evan Harper

Evan Harper — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:35:44 +0000

Hitler may not be a cartoon character, but Abe Foxman certainly is.

By: Woody Tanaka

Woody Tanaka — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:23:44 +0000

“Some have argued that since the videos are parodies, they are protected under ‘fair use,’ the legal doctrine that holds that the use of copyright-protected works for purposes such as parody and education may be considered ‘fair,’ writes the Associated Press. However, YouTube’s content policy also specifies that if a copyright holder asks, they will remove the material from the site.”

The problem with this is that, if the clip is not infringing, by virtue of fair use, then the production company is not the copyright holder of the parody clip, the person who made it is. Thus, if fair use exists, then the production company could conceivably be guilty of copyright infringment by making the claim…

By: Ray

Ray — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:48:10 +0000

“We find them offensive,” said Foxman of the videos. “We feel that they trivialize not only the Holocaust but World War II. Hitler is not a cartoon character.”

Oh please. What better way to marginalize evil than by making fun of it?

By: Katharine

Katharine — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:30:21 +0000

Honestly, I feel Hitler is best remembered by being mocked roundly. He doesn’t deserve any measure of solemnity. It gives him too much power.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:16:56 +0000

It’s silly since very few had ever heard of this movie until the parodies started. It is almost guaranteed that these parodies brought the movie and the actor more fame than they would have acquired otherwise.

Also, the Anti Defamation League needs to relax. Long before Hitler people were trying to kill the Jews. Mel Brooks did a nice parody of the Inquisition including the ‘torture’ of Jews. There are more serious cases of threats against Jewish people than adding humorous subtitles to a clip.