DragonForce have had to fight like hell after a random YouTube user claimed ownership of their song "Valley of the Damned." After nearly a week of pleading with the video platform and receiving a surprisingly unhelpful response, YouTube has finally acknowledged the wrongdoing and canceled a pending takedown of the song on DragonForce's channel.
Last week (Aug. 17), the power metal band, who just signed to Napalm Records and announced a fall North American tour, expressed frustration over receiving copyright strike on their YouTube channel for their the title track to their 2003 debut album.
DragonForce uploaded a screenshot of the video status, which denoted the copyright strike and ineligible video monetization in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
"This must be the biggest mess up we've seen, and we've seen a lot," wrote the band, tagging two official YouTube accounts, questioning, "Any random person can now claim they own a band's music and they should take it down to avoid a strike?"
Guitarist Herman Li, who previously faced issues on Twitch, where his account was once suspended without explanation, also spread the word with his followers, calling the copyright strike against the band's channel "insane."
A response from Team YouTube says they "take misuse of our copyright tools very seriously and take strong action when we find abuse." The account also directed the band to a resource page about what their options are regarding the pending video takedown. They also urged DragonForce to delete their original tweet because it contains "personal information."
Another three days went by without resolution and DragonForce again challenged YouTube's team to reconsider the copyright strike and scheduled video takedown on the band's page, noting they had sent legal letters yet had not received any reason as to why ownership was awarded to a third party channel under the name Gary George.
Both Metal Injection and MetalSucks note that YouTube directed Li toward lawyers who may be willing to take on the case for the band, but it is unclear when and where the guitarist said this.
READ MORE: DragonForce's Herman Li Says Rock Isn't Dead, It's 'Too Serious' + 'Afraid to Have Fun'
Team YouTube issued another reply, reiterating they take these claims seriously, directing DragonForce to a form where they can submit a counter-claim and attempt to retain ownership of the song and video.
A frustrated Li said, "That song has contents ID all over it which you claim ad revenue for the copyright holders and publishing administrators. How can your system let that abuse get through on the official music channel that YouTube recognizes?"
Team YouTube then came back with another update, acknowledging that the takedown request for "Valley of the Damned" was "invalid" and that the request had been canceled. As a result, the copyright strike against DragonForce's YouTube channel has been removed. "Really appreciate you bringing this to our attention and bearing [with] us while we sorted this out," wrote Team YouTube three days after first responding to the public notification about the erroneous copyright strike and takedown notice, favoring an individual account over the band's own official channel.
DragonForce On Tour
Meanwhile, DragonForce will be playing songs their own copyrighted material on a fall tour with Amaranthe, NanowaR of Steel and Edge of Paradise from late October to late November.
"We're really looking forward to touring in the U.S. and Canada again. We've prepared a new setlist with some brand new songs that we'll be releasing before the tour begins. Alongside these, we'll also be playing some older songs that haven't been in our setlist for a long time, as well as some classic favorites that are a must," enthuses Li, "It's shaping up to be a fantastic tour!"
DragonForce are also preparing their new album, the successor to 2019's Extreme Power Metal.
See the tour dates directly below and get tickets here.
DragonForce 2023 Tour Dates with Amaranthe, NanowaR of Steel + Edge of Paradise
Oct. 20 - Mesa, Ariz. @ Nile Theater*
Oct. 21 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Revel*
Oct. 23 - Austin, Texas @ Empire Garage
Oct. 24 - Dallas, Texas @ The Granada
Oct. 25 - Houston, Texas @ House of Blues
Oct. 27 - Orlando, Fla. @ House of Blues
Oct. 28 - Ft Lauderdale, Fla. @ Culture Room
Oct. 30 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Masquerade - Heaven
Oct. 31 - Charlotte, N.C. @ The Underground
Nov. 01 - Baltimore, Md. @ Baltimore Soundstage
Nov. 03 - New York, N.Y. @ Palladium Time Square
Nov. 04 - Worcester, Mass. @ The Palladium
Nov. 05 - Montreal, Quebec @ MTelus
Nov. 06 - Toronto, Ontario @ Danforth Music Hall
Nov. 08 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Agora Theater
Nov. 09 - Detroit, Mich. @ The Majestic
Nov. 10 - Chicago, Ill. @ House of Blues
Nov. 11 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ First Avenue
Nov. 12 - Lawrence, Kan. @ Granada Theater
Nov. 14 - Denver, Colo. @ Summit Music Hall
Nov. 15 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Depot
Nov. 16 - Boise, Idaho @ Knitting Factory
Nov. 18 - Berkeley, Calif. @ UC Theater
Nov. 19 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern
* no NanowaR of Steel
