YouTube Issues Cease and Desist to Bizarre Chinese YouTube Clone

· Mar 27, 2024 at 10:06 AM

Gan Jing World is linked to the Falun Gong, and has been cloning popular YouTube channels in the name of providing "wholesome content for all."

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Google has sent a cease and desist letter to Gan Jing World, a bizarre video platform linked to the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Gong. Gan Jing World makes it seem as if some of the most popular YouTube creators are natively posting their videos to its platform, but in reality Gan Jing World is embedding and reskinning the YouTube videos without permission, creating an unauthorized, parallel version of YouTube that it advertises as “the fastest growing online platform.”

“We’re aware of the site and have sent a cease and desist letter,” YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon told 404 Media in an email. YouTube added that its millions of creators rely on revenue generated on its platform, and that sites like Gan Jing World harms those creators. Additionally, YouTube said it believes that Gan Jing World is in violation of its terms of service, which state users are not allowed to:

access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, alter, modify or otherwise use any part of the Service or any Content except: (a) as expressly authorized by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the respective rights holders;

Companies often send out cease and desist letters as a warning to people and entities to stop what they’re doing before potentially taking legal action.