Rodeo Cowboys Tried to Censor SHARK--And That Will Cost Them 25K

by Stephanie Ernst · 2009-02-13 14:19:00 UTC
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Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) does vital work in exposing the cruelties of rodeos and other industries and practices that exploit, abuse, and kill animals, and the group makes good use of undercover video footage and photos to accomplish that task--such good use that rodeos and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) aren't exactly fond of SHARK and its work to educate the public. In an effort to silence SHARK and stop people from seeing--really seeing--what happens at rodeos, the PRCA cried copyright in December 2007 to YouTube, one site where SHARK posts its videos.

In response to the bogus copyright claim, YouTube removed SHARK's videos and deleted its account. SHARK succeeded in getting the videos back up at YouTube, and last summer, the nonprofit filed suit against the PRCA with the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The settlement in that case came yesterday, and the PRCA now owes $25,000 for its false copyright claims. Other important provisions in the settlement include that "the PRCA has agreed not to enforce a 'no videotaping' provision in its ticket 'contracts' against SHARK unless it enforces the same provision against others, meaning the PRCA will no longer be able to selectively enforce the provision against its critics."

See the press release here.

All images courtesy of SHARK

Stephanie Ernst wrote the original Animal Rights blog at Change.org until December 2009. She can now be found at Animal Rights & AntiOppression.
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