MTV bleeps out file-sharing sites? Probably

I can’t figure this out. This video, from MTV’s video site, has been bleeped by MTV in an effort to hide file sharing system names in Weird Al Yankovic “Don’t Download This Song.” The original lyrics:

Once in a while maybe you will feel the urge
To break international copyright law
By downloading MP3s from file-sharing sites
Like Morpheus or Grokster or Limewire or KaZaA

UPDATE –
Mike Weiss (Former CEO, Morpheus) says:

When the video first was released by Weird Al, Morpheus sought permission from Sony Music to distribute the video as a promotion for Weird Al. Unfortunately Sony denied the request. There were no bleeps of the names of Morpheus or the others when the video was first released so it seems a bit odd that Weird Al would censor his own song over a year after release. Also Wilson Sonsini was the first law firm (along with the EEF) representing Morpheus, but Arrington was not on the case. MTV is not owned by the record labels so it also seems odd that MTV would censor the video. But what is interesting, after 7 years and the tens of millions of dollars spent on litigating Morpheus, Kazaa and Grokster to death (not to mention a very odd ruling by the US Supreme Ct), and Limewire’s legal process trailing by a few years–that someone someplace believes that by bleeping out these names will have any effect on the future of the music industry when all the litigation did not. Just weird…but lots of weird stuff goes on behind the scenes.

Say it ain’t so, MTV!


The whole song is a parody of the RIAA, the video shows a kid getting shot by police for downloading music, and it suggests you’ll burn in hell for file-sharing. I suspect this is actually intentional. You’ll notice that most cursing on MTV gets “cut,” (one example which shows both happening, near 2:40) not bleeped so I suspect Mr. Weird Al actually did this on purpose. I have an email in to the young man and I’ll get the bottom of this.