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The International Olympic Committee has withdrawn its Copyright infringement claim on YouTube regarding its videos showing Tibetan protests. According to Electronic Frontier Foundation’s attorney, Corynne McSherry, the IOC, earlier this week demanded that the video sharing site removed the video portraying protests for a free Tibet. The video was posted under the heading of “Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony“.

The video showed world wide protests in favour of Tibet. It also contained olympic rings footage but it wasn’t more than twice.

The YouTube, after removing the video, queried the IOC if it could file a DMCA claim. Furthermore they also asked the group to pull out the takedown notice. The IOC was also queried about their copyright violation claims. In the end IOC had to withdraw their request and the video was posted again.

YouTube and IOC have been operating together to provide the content and also monitor the copyright infringement. According McSherry such takedown demands have less to do with copyright violation, they are rather “timed to directly interfere with the impact of a political message”.

YouTube has yet to comment on this issue.