The H3H3 Defense Fund is Now a Bountiful F.U.P.A.

H3H3 Productions Lawsuit Helps Start Fair Use Protection Account (FUPA)

Ethan and Hila Klien of H3H3Productions will be putting all of the money from the GoFundMe that Phil DeFranco created (which as of this post has raised $153,175 in just two days) into an escrow account that is now in the care of Morrison/Lee (The Video Game Attorneys).  They have named it F.U.P.A. (Fair Use Protection Account).

This will allow Morrison/Lee to provide full legal representation, not just free legal advice as they’ve been doing, for people being bullied or silenced over fair use issues. This means H3H3 Productions will be the first client to use the account, so Ethan and Hila donated $5,000 into the GoFundMe as well. The Fair Use Protection Account (that’s right, FUPA) will hopefully help protect people who otherwise would have no other option but to give in to the demands of whoever is bullying them, and protect the very concept of fair use itself. 

-techraptor.net

Phillip DeFranco starts gofundme for H3H3Productions lawsuit

 

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H3H3 Defense Fund

Fellow Youtuber Phillip DeFranco has started a Go Fund Me campaign to help pay for the enormous legal costs that H3H3 will accumulate due to this lawsuit.

DeFranco says on his GoFundMe campaign page:

Ethan and Hila are being sued for a video they created about youtuber MattHossZone.  In my and many others’ opinion this is an attempt to step on freedom of speech via a broken copyright system and most people’s confusion over Fair Use.

The class acts that Ethan and Hila are, they did not ask for viewers to support their defense fund with money, but this situation is bigger than them.  If they are bullied and drained of funds because of this ridiculous lawsuit and/or they lose this case it could set a terrible precedent for other creators.  Now it’sH3H3 productions, but tomorrow it’s you and your favorite creators being scared into keeping their mouths shut.

They have estimated that defending this to the end could cost them around $100,000(USD), even if they win.  Let’s start out with a small goal as any little bit helps.  I’ll get the ball rolling with a $5,000(USD) donation.

Please join me in donating to H3H3’s defense fund and taking a stand together as a community.  If you don’t have the cash, please just get the word out about this.

Since this post, $21,099 has been raised.

UPDATE (5/26/16):  $101,361 has been raised.

H3H3 Productions sued, stands to lose thousands of dollars in court fees

Matt Hosseinzadeh aka Bold Guy is suing Youtube creators H3H3 Productions for copyright infringement.  According to H3, this case is going to court, will take up to two years for the trial to complete, and will cost them up to $100,000.

While the video about Matt Hosseinzadeh is protected under “fair use”, but Ethan and Hila explain in the video above that fair use is only a legal defense in court, and that they have no idea how a jury is going to see the case, so there is no way to say that the odds are in their favor of winning.  The video also covers what Matt is deciding to go after should he win the suit.

The copyright strike Matt put on the video that was about him will remain.  Currently there is no Youtube policy for false copyright infringement strikes.