WordPress Wins DMCA Takedown Case

Automattic, parent company of blogging platform WordPress, is fighting back against meritless takedown notices based on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Critics say abusive use of the DMCA is resulting in back-door censorship. Recently, a California court ruled in Automattic’s favor, saying a DMCA takedown notice sent by an anti-gay rights organization in England—which sought to have an article about the group taken off a WordPress site—was not legitimate. The case is likely to set precedent for future cases, although Automattic has not been able to find the defendant in order to recoup attorney fees and costs it was awarded by the court.