Thus Spaketh Idd Salim

My Beef with YouTube and NTV Uganda

by on Jun.28, 2010, under Personal, Symbiotic, Zunguka

NTV - Turning off Youtube Channels...

Yesterday was a VERY sad day for me, an ardent Youtube user.

Well, as my confides might know, I was living in Uganda from 2004 to 2008. The I realized that unless I was selling matoke, there was no place for a coder like me there. I was always speaking Greek and talking of ‘advanced systems’. So I decided to come back to Kenya.

In 2007, me and some friends in Uganda decided to Start a Youtube Channel and named it Ndazi TV (NTV). This was meant to be a joke-site for lovers of Quarter-Ndazi like me, Danoch, Sibelenje and Cris Kiagiri. All Starehe boys LOVED quarter ndazis.

So, we registered the channel : http://www.youtube.com/ntvuganda

Then come 2008, Kenya’s NTV station started broadcasting in Uganda as NTV Uganda (A TV Station). I sent various proposals their way via email detailing how they could create a station-buzz using technologies like email,  web, social media and SMS. They called me on various talk shows like Money Matters etc.

Little did I know, that NTV would screw me in the rear orifices.

So on 24th July 2009, After I had relocated to Nairobi, I got an email from Robert Samuel Muganga of NTV Uganda. it read:

Hullo Sir;

Iam called Robert Samuel Muganga an IT/ Tech Support Engineer with NTV – U.
I got your address from Rosemary, and yes for some time now we have
perused through the channel on a request from administration.
It appears that due to the changes to the company group policy, all
divisions including NTVU are required to have a web presence with Youtube
only that by the time we checked we already had a presence to which we had
control over the content;

Would you please kindly  relinquish the passwords for this channel. we
would highly appreciate that sir.

Best Regards
Robert Samuel Muganga
IT/ Tech Support Engineer
NTV – Uganda

I was appalled! Now NTV wants to take what was rightfully mine!

I replied apologizing for the name collision stating it was purely coincidental.

So, they did not respond or contact me again, but last week, to my utter HORROR, it appears they had contacted YouTube, who YANKED me off my Ndazi TV network, deleted ALL my content, changed my passwords  and handed the channel over to NTV Station.

Wazi.

:, , , ,

  • http://twitter.com/gisho Erastus Gichuhi

    huh?

  • Iddsalim

    where can I email u the password?

  • http://joliea.wordpress.com/ Joliea

    NKT!

  • Alwova

    Thats a clear indication of lack of creativity ….than sticking to ur (ndazi)ntvuganga they would been creative stuff like ntvmuseven i, ntvmigingo or even ntvmatoke a whole media house lucking creativity ……*nodding*

  • Iddsalim

    Sorry.. I have opened up the blog post now.. Soma

  • iddsalim

    Another clear example of the BIG guys stepping on us, the SMALL guys… and there is absolutely NOTHING the law can do to protect us.

  • http://joliea.wordpress.com/ Joliea

    It is you who 1st used the handle and therefore, the handle (here being the Ndazi TV 'NTV' handle) is YOURS. Me thinks, yes, get a lawyer. To draft a nice official letter stating that the only way you can relinquish the handle is if they paid you kedoo 100,000.

    Haya. now for this…and I have proof, I only want 10% :D LOL!! (No am not kidding!)

  • iddsalim

    Ok.. TwitPM me your number… I am am sure money is not th eonly thing I can use to pay you. Some code maybe? Some configs here and there…

  • Alwova

    what goes around…

  • http://twitter.com/Buggz79 Sam Buggz

    Interesting.

    I had a look at Youtube's community forums to see how they handle “channel squatters” http://bit.ly/aWibrS and http://bit.ly/bBnA2R. In most cases, it would seem that Youtube does not play ball in revoking ownership. It seems to be a policy of theirs. This means then that:
    1. NTV may have hired outside help to discover the password and subsequently hi-jacked it or

    2. Higher level talks with Youtube occurred where the channel name was part of the deal to be delivered.

    Based on their feedback on their community site, there is no precedence for revoking the rights to your channel. At the very least, you have a case.

  • http://twitter.com/Buggz79 Sam Buggz

    Sorry for hogging this here, but tought to share this too:

    Username Squatting

    In general, users are expected to be active members within the YouTube community. If an account is found to be overly inactive, the account may be reclaimed by YouTube without notice and made available for registration by another party. Inactivity may be considered as

    Not logging into the site for at least six months.Never having uploaded video content.Not actively partaking in watching or commenting on videos or channels.
    In cases of username squatting, YouTube may release usernames typically in cases of a {valid trademark or impersonation complaint}.”

    I suspect they placed the trademark card.

  • http://joliea.wordpress.com/ Joliea

    Wait! Seems I hadn't read that last part! They did what! That's pure mean! You should be mad as hell! Make noise! Rant and Rave. Go sue them for all you care! They should pay you! Nitwits!!

  • iddsalim

    You cant trademark an abbreviation. Especially an ambiguous one. NTV can mean alot of stuff. and Ndazi Tv is as Credible as Nation TV. I was first, and I wont take this lying down.

  • http://twitter.com/iAlen Alen Wekesa

    Nation TV Uganda bure kabisa. By the way are you on twitter? I want to follow you. Your worth my follow papaa. http://twitter.com/ialen. Uhusiano also wants to follow you Http://twitter.com/uhusiano

  • http://twitter.com/uhusiano Mungai wa Njoroge

    Good stuff, kindly give us your twitter account I need to follow you & follow back too. thanks for the stuff in here!

  • http://twitter.com/uhusiano Mungai wa Njoroge

    Good stuff, kindly give us your twitter account I need to follow you & follow back too. thanks for the stuff in here!

  • http://alexmaina.com Alex Maina

    absolute rubbish! How can the conman Muganga do that. It is hard for them to cancel accounts just like that. I am sure they used the excuse that an ex-employee took the passwords.

    If I was as pissed as you, I would set up a real website. ntvuganda.com etc and really punish them.
    Pole sana. Never heard of such nonsence in my life.

  • Nor

    OUCH! I feel your pain.

  • Moses Egunyu

    That was not fair, NTV Uganda should train their staff about Copy rights.
    Youtube should style up too and treat all members equally. Infact you should be compensated for turning off your world!

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