Latter-day Saint Life

VidAngel Founder Responds After Judge Orders Company to Remove Films from Major Movie Studios

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On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. granted a temporary injunction against the popular video-filtering company VidAngel.

The injunction calls for VidAngel to temporarily take down films from major movie studios from their service, which allows families to rent movies and filter them for content. 

Based in Provo and founded by LDS brothers Jeff, Neal, Daniel, and Jordan Harmon, this was "the first battle in a long war" for the company, according to the VidAngel blog.

Movie studios Disney, LucasFilm, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. launched a lawsuit against VidAngel in June 2016 over claims that the company's video editing services violate copyright laws.

However, VidAngel claims that their services do not violate copyright laws under the 2005 Family Movie Act, which allows for families to edit films for potentially offensive content using computer software. 

Despite the ruling, co-founder Jeff Harmon posted on his Facebook that the company plans to continue with the lawsuit. 

"Last night we lost only a single battle to a single LA judge," co-founder Jeff Harmon wrote on his facebook page. "Historically the trial court is the graveyard of filtering companies, but we are not backing down, and unlike previous companies, we have the funds to keep fighting."

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VidAngel ad with Matt Meese from Studio C

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