Warner Gives "No Quarter" Over Led Zeppelin Video Clips

Mere hours after Led Zeppelin made rock and roll history with its triumphant reunion concert at London's O2 arena, the band's record label, Warner Music Group, was locked in running battle with YouTube users who are flooding the site with amateur videos of the show.

Dozens of videos of songs including Stairway to Heaven, No Quarter, Whole Lotta Love, and Good Times, Bad Times, have been uploaded to the video site, much to the apparent chagrin of Warner. (By the time you read this, these clips may have been pulled.)

As of Tuesday afternoon, many videos had been removed, "due to a copyright claim by Warner Music Group." But dozens remained, with more being uploaded by the hour.

Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the copyright holder - in this case Warner - is required to inform YouTube of each instance of infringement. YouTube is then obliged to take down the offending video.

Given the sheer number of videos being posted, it is fair to assume that Warner's lawyers are working overtime. Unfortunately for Warner, YouTube, which is owned by Google, is only required to take down individual videos, not to remove all videos made of the show, en masse. Critics of the D.M.C.A. often seize upon this component of the law when arguing for its reform, or outright abolishment.

Given the size of O2 Arena (20,000, sold out), the historic nature of the concert, the fact that Zeppelin currently has no tour planned, and the ubiquity of cheap cellphone and video cameras, last night's show may have been one of the most video-taped rock concerts in history.

Last night's show is already being considered one of the most important rock and roll concerts of the last decade, if not in the history of pop music. Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive - gushing, even - and bands and critics alike are clamoring for Led Zeppelin to announce a world tour. The Telegraph reported that Led Zeppelin record sales skyrocketed 500 percent the day after the concert.

Warner has good reason to want to protect its intellectual property in this case, given that the company is expected to release a DVD of the concert for sale next year.

Just recently, timed to coincide with the reunion concert, Led Zeppelin agreed to put its entire, remastered catalog on iTunes. This reporter has heard the material, and can confirm that it is, in a word, awesome.

Neither YouTube, nor Warner Music Group, were immediately available for comment.

by Sam Gustin

_{Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin perform on stage during the Led Zeppelin Tribute To Ahmet Ertegun concert, held at the O2 Arena on December 10, 2007 in London, England. (Photo by Ross Halfin/Exclusive by Getty Images)}