The Watchtower Comments Videos are Back

The Watchtower Comments videos are among the most popular on this site. They were recently taken down from Youtube as a response to a legal threat from the directors of the "Knocking" documentary. This blog also received a legal threat, despite the fact that I have nothing to do with the production of those videos. Click here for my comments or here for the latest news on this situation.

I'm pleased that these excellent videos are back. Jehovah's Witnesses are now producing two versions of their Watchtower magazine. One is a public edition that waters down their controversial teachings. The other is a study edition for Jehovah's Witnesses and contains much stronger language. This makes it much harder for outsiders or former members to know what is going on in that religion. (I have family in that religion and am very concerned about this increased secrecy.) The Watchtower Comments videos are valuable because they discuss these study articles and provide observation that won't be heard at the Watchtower studies of Jehovah's Witnesses. I hope you will take a look at them. I intend to keep posting them on this blog as they become available.

This Blog Receives a Legal Threat

I recently received an email threatening me with legal action if I don't remove a short video clip from the Watchtower Comments series of videos. The email claimed that the clip was copyrighted. This is strange because I have nothing to do with the production of those videos. They are hosted on Youtube and I only embedded them on this site.

I learned later that the clip in question was only three seconds long. That sounds like fair use to me. If that isn't fair use, then what is? Well, the videos are now gone. I don't know if Youtube removed them or if they were removed by the producer. I hope they will be replaced soon with edited versions. I will try to embed the new videos soon after they are available. I will place them on the same blog pages as the old videos.

I hope to discuss this situation more thoroughly when I have more information. In the meantime you can check out these ongoing discussion about this issue.

"Knocking" Legal Action Against Watchtower Comments

Some of My Thoughts About Knocking's Legal Threats

Emailed Legal Threats

How to get Watchtower Comments videos back up (with Knocking section)

The three second clip in question comes from the "Knocking" documentary, a film that has caused a great deal of controversy. Here are some links.

Jehovah's Witnesses PBS Film KNOCKING Omits the Facts

KNOCKING: A New Pro-JW Documentary

Knocking on Jehovah's Witnesses

Update 4/1/08: The Watchtower Comments videos are back. See this post.