Microsoft seeks takedown of Windows 8 videos on YouTube. If you’ve never downloaded and installed a leaked Windows 7 or Windows 8 build, you might not have seen the scary legalese in Microsoft’s license: “Unauthorized use or disclosure in any manner may result in disciplinary action.” In a nutshell, using pre-release builds is like Fight Club — you’re just not supposed to talk about it. And while Microsoft hasn’t really been aggressive in stemming the tide of leaks, the company is clearly not entirely pleased with the amount of information appearing on the Internet about the still-nascent Windows 8.
Over at YouTube, for example, the takedown requests have begun. There are still plenty of Windows 8 videos available for viewing as I write this, but that could obviously change if Microsoft has decided that it doesn’t want any video footage floating around on major sites like YouTube. In the most recent leaked build (7955) Microsoft has added a smattering of “confidential” labeling, perhaps indicating that the company wants to lock things down going forward.
The move strikes me as a little bit odd, given the positive effect leaked information, screenshots, and video footage had with Windows 7. Plenty of positive buzz was generated for the OS before it ever hit the public beta phase, and Microsoft probably gathered plenty of compatibility and usage data from “unauthorized testers” while they played with the leaked builds. Still, the launch of a new Windows version is always a daunting task and Microsoft will want to make sure it gets things right with Windows 8. Windows 7 has received so much praise, and customer satisfaction is at an all-time high, so it’s going to be a tough act to follow.
