The NFL has close ties to Twitter; the sports organization postgame highlights and news on the social platform. Other sport organizations have strained relationships with social media, and often send DMCA takedown request for pirated videos. Two Twitter accounts, SB Nation and DeadSpin, were both suspended last night over the posting of GIFs. Hundreds of DMCA takedowns are sent to Twitter on any given day, but the according to comments from Twitter SB Nation and DeadSpin both received at least a dozen DMCA takedowns over GIFs of game play.
Both DeadSpin and SB Nation have had their accounts reinstated. Its unclear if GIFs stand on the spectrum of fair use as it relates to copyright law. Media experts are unsure if GIFs constitute fair use, however we’re sure someone will take the NFL head on very soon. Users and many onlookers were frustrated with the NFL and Twitter over taking down GIFs on the social platform.
DeadSpin, a Gawker owned media site, managed to reinstate their profile quickly. The first appearance of a new tweet on the account was a link to GIFs of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Great job DeadSpin!
TEST … TEST … http://t.co/VKN0osQQXl pic.twitter.com/BOStDQQ4yr
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) October 13, 2015
The mix is sure to cause some tension with Twitter and their users who share GIFs easily with thousands and sometimes millions of followers. GIFs have become the cornerstone of viral shareable content on the web. Tell us in the comments below what you think about Twitter suspending the two media accounts!