Cassie Ordonio, Hawai'i Public Radio; 'Copyright trolls' pounce on Hawaiʻi arts social media accounts
"Porter had signed an agreement with BVIRAL, a Tennessee-based licensing company that helps promote content creators but also monitors the internet to ensure its clients' videos are not being shared without their permission.
What Porter signed up for was not what he expected.
“I was under the impression that I was giving them the rights to use the videos for promoting my artwork on their pages,” he said.
In actuality, Porter gave BVIRAL rights to pursue copyright claims on his behalf.
Now, people who typically support artists by posting those artists' works on social media are getting hit with takedown notices.
The issue illustrates unintended consequences when artists sign contracts with companies like BVIRAL that file copyright claims against businesses that also work with artists."
