Twitter removes video retweeted by Trump after copyright complaint

Twitter has removed a video on a post retweeted by President Trump in response to a copyright claim, marking the latest instance in which the tech company has taken action against content shared by the president.

A Twitter spokesperson confirmed to The Hill on Sunday that the company took the step after receiving a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice from a rights holder. The company said that according to its copyright policy, “we respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by copyright owner or their authorized representative.”

The tweet in question was shared by White House aide Dan Scavino and included a Trump campaign video with Linkin Park music in the background, according to The Verge. The band said in a statement shared on Twitter late Saturday that it had issued a “a cease and desist” over the Trump camp’s use of its music. 

Linkin Park did not and does not endorse Trump, nor authorize his organization to use any of our music. A cease and desist has been issued.

— LINKIN PARK (@linkinpark) July 19, 2020

The Lumen Database, a database of legal requests to remove online material, showed that a copyright notice was filed in response to Scavino’s tweet on Saturday.

By Sunday afternoon, Scavino’s tweet was no longer on the president’s Twitter feed. However the tweet itself was not deleted. In place of the video, a message now reads: “This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner.”

pic.twitter.com/ioVHmZnPzU

— Dan Scavino (@DanScavino) July 17, 2020

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. 

Twitter’s copyright policy says that the company will respond to reports of alleged copyright infringement, including allegations of unauthorized use of a copyrighted video or image. Saturday’s move marked at least the third time since June that that it has removed content shared by the president or his campaign due to issues concerning copyright violations. 

The company removed a four-minute video tribute to George Floyd shared by Trump’s re-election campaign in early June after receiving a complaint from a copyright owner of at least one of the images in the clip. Facebook and Instagram also removed the video over copyright disputes. 

Twitter in early July also removed a Trump tweet that included a meme featuring a black-and-white image of himself taken by The New York Times. The company said that it took the step after the newspaper filed a takedown notice. 

The steps have come as the company ramps up its efforts to moderate posts shared by the president. Twitter in May appended fact-check labels to a pair of Trump tweets that included false information about mail-in voting. It also added a warning label to an inflammatory post that Trump shared about protests in the aftermath of Floyd’s death.