Rebecca Black’s infamous music video for “Friday” remains pulled from YouTube due to a copyright claim by Black, as the saga surrounding the viral video continues to play out. ARK Music Factory, the company that helped Black create it, has fired back in a statement, claiming that they’re working to resolve a complaint from Black’s representatives.
The statement from ARK’s spokesperson is as follows: “We’re disappointed, having been in good faith negotiations with Rebecca Black and her representatives for months regarding any open issues. There’s been an ongoing, open dialogue with our company. So we were blindsided to get a Take Down Notice — with no notice — alleging copyright infringement instead of a call or email from Rebecca’s representatives.”
The company also claims they have rights to the video. “Our use of the video has fully been authorized (as evidenced by four uninterrupted months and 160 million-plus viewings without objection) by both Ms. Black and the copyright holder,” the statement continued. “Regardless, we are going to continue to take the high road and work out the complaint as soon as possible so that the million-plus people who watch Friday for free each day can continue to enjoy the video.”
Finally, ARK ended their statement saying the company was “pleased to have been associated with Rebecca Black, and wish her continued success as she pursues her career,” and noting that company founder Patrice Wilson “discovered, defined, and delivered” the 13-year-old “sensation.”
Reps for Black have not responded to EW for comment, and Black herself has not yet written anything about the current controversy on her Twitter feed or her just-launched Facebook page.
Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky
The Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix
Read more:
Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ remains pulled from YouTube. A nation mourns?
Rebecca Black: EW interviews the viral video star
Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’: The Internet’s latest obsession
Rebecca Black on Leno: Watch her perform here
WHO CARES
I CARE! That’s who cares! I’m famous now! I’m in Katy Perry’s new video! I’ve been on Jay Leno! What have YOU been doing??
we so excited
Rebecca Black just owned your ass.
Rebecca Black can kiss my ass.
Rebecca Black is so not famous. 9 out of 10 people say “who”? I wouldn’t brag about being on Jay Leno too much. Most celebrities don’t like him now after his stunt. Plus he also has stupid animal tricks, so what’s that say for you. As for the Katy Perry video, all I can do is laugh hysterically at your life…..
ummm well ive been doing better stuff than singing a gay song with ado tune
wait, you’re actually bragging about being on Leno? now THAT is funny!
Its funny how most of the comments are posted on friday xD
Funny, you are not Rebecca. I know because when you posted this she was having sushi at a restaurant where I was with my family after 8th grade promotion!
So what if you have been on tv. You’re ugly as hell, Your music sucks ass because you auto-tuned it. And the lowest of the low ark music factory helped you create it because you had money. Why don’t get you get real kid.
You tell her girl. I love you Rebecca! You looked so pretty in Katy’s video. ♥
WHO CARES? SO YOU WERE IN THE VIDEO WITH KATY IVE BEEN IN LINKIN PARK VIDEOS AS WELL AS FALL OUT BOY VIDEOS AND WORK IN THE INDUSTRY AND I MAKE REAL MUSIC. YOU MAY THINK YOU’RE FAMOUS, BUT YOU ARE NOT.
who are you and why are you pertending to be me! I AM the real Rebecca Black! I am sorry to all of the people who love my song that it had to be removed from youtube.
Hating ur vid ;D
You aren’t even a credited singer. You’re voice is downright plain and mediocre. You don’t have the talent of even Justin Beiber. Shame on you
Fat Usher = EPIC FAIL
You guy really think that’s the real Jessica Black? Seriously? Wow.
We we we so excited, we so excited, we can’t speak proper English worth a damn….Yesterday was yesterday….tomorrow is tomorrow…..we we we so excited…we we we represent the end of Western Civilization….We so sorry.
You should hear the original version by Bob Dylan.. Check it out man
youtube.com/watch?v=9FISHEO3gsM
No one cares because your a joke. So your in Katy Perry video… That was a pity showing. Your a talentless wack job who should probably finish school and do something other than music. Your voice is horrible and that song is trash!
this version is the best
youtube.com/watch?v=zzfQwXEqYaI
Why is a 13 year-old girl allowed to ride around in a car that is driven by a boy who MUST be at least 16 (to be able to drive legally)? Where is her mother? 16 year-old boys are horny and decent mothers shouldn’t let a 13 year-old girl alone with older boys.
Successful troll is successful.
Uhhh under a rock ignoring ur annoying ass videos
I definitely second your Who Cares, SallyLou. This has been all over EW.com today like it’s the end of the world, and FFS I’ve never even heard of her.
I am continually amazed by the comments on this site…the ones where the author tries to be the cool dissenter by saying “who cares” IN THE COMMENTS. If you really didn’t care, you wouldn’t have clicked on that link and added your comment.
For real!
No, for make believe!
I luv rebecca black she iz awsn singer
I heard two songs f her friday and my moment
both r awsm
god bless u dear and tc
Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!
I can’t wait until Rebecca Black comes out with a new song, hopefully those when she’s much much older. Take singing lessons (there is a voice down there), mature her sound, and come out with a song years down the line. She could do really well.
R u on crack???? What voice – the song was rubbish and the only reason I watched some of it was because all the fuss that was made in the US and it was sooooooo bad it almost made my ears bleed! If you think that she’s got talent then u must be a Justin Beiber fan because he’s just as talentless as her!
The voice was not really Rebecca Black’s. She sings MUCH better in real life (Source: Good Morning America). ARK Music Factory, like the morons they are, just auto-tuned her voice because they thought it sounded “cool.” Do not blame Rebecca Black. It was ARK Music Factory who created this atrocity.
I actually truly loved her song. I would hear people sing it at school every Friday and I loved it! It’s my Friday anthem.
At my school, people would just sing it to annoy people on Friday.:D
No offense, but that is the truth.
Rebecca Black should not be blamed for this atrocity. It was ARK Music Factory who created the song. In fact, she was forced to sing a pre-written song. Her choices were “Friday” or some song about adult love. I think we know the better choice here, even if most of us hated it (no offense to the fans, but you know it is true).
Down with ARK Music Factory!
She’s 14 you morons -.-
Not till later this month, shes sill 13
no, nope keep it off.
She can do whatever she wants. He can do whatever he wants. I’m going to do whatever the H E double hockey sticks I want. And the rest of you are going to get real bored, and find something else to complain about eventually. Cool?
It was inevitable that it was going to end up like this. I kinda doubt that ARK was blindsided, as Rebecca Black’s people have been threatening to do this for a while.
But Rebecca has to be careful not to seem to heavy handed and money grubbing by pushing around ARK. She has built up a lot of good will with parents, teachers and many many others by the way she has stood up to cyber bully losers and kept smiling.
Pretty good for a 13 year old to have that great positive attitude despite all the ____ she’s had to take. I think Lebron needs to take some lessons
ARK Music Factory are just morons. I agree, they were not blindsided. They have been threatened for a while. Unfortunately, the press would have had nothing to quote other than their lies. Rebecca Black is a good singer, she was just manipulated by ARK Music Factory and thus making her an infamous figure.
But the truth is, ARK Music Factory were the idiots who created “Friday” and it was either that or a song about adult love. She is a teenager for crying out loud. Of course she would choose “Friday.” I know I would.
DOWN WITH ARK MUSIC FACTORY AND THE MORONS THAT SUPPORT THEM!!!!!
To add to the good singer part about Rebecca Black, ARK Music Factory, like the morons they are, thought that auto-tuning her sounded “cool.” I believe that is the main reason people hated “Friday.”
HATE ON ARK MUSIC FACTORY! NOT REBECCA BLACK! SHE IS JUST AN INNOCENT 13 YEAR OLD WHO GOT MANIPULATED BY ARK MUSIC FACTORY!
You can’t be serious. The song has lyrical gems like “fun, fun, think about fun, you know what it is”. And you think people made fun of the song just because of the auto-tune? Yeah…
I agree. The lyrics were bad as well. However, ARK Music Factory also wrote them. Rebecca Black only sang those stupid lyrics. She is probably not the person to blame.
Lebron is relaxing somewhere in the Islands, don’t worry about him.
I see what Rebecca Black parents and her new management are trying to do but she’ll ALWAYS be the girl from the Friday song. She better embrace it.
do it in lyric and do not stop please trust me by ty
Here is another example of someone who cant sing thinking that they are due some royalty from a bad song and video.Keep it off, save space for someone who can sing!!
That would be a lot of space.
This is just a stunt to draw attention to her new video coming out soon.
Ironic. The same company that puts up a paywall out of nowhere on the Friday video out of nowhere speaks of “Blindsiding”…
And considering they had the paywall up, it weird that they will say “so that the million-plus people who watch Friday for free each day can continue to enjoy the video…”
“…Patrice Wilson “discovered, defined, and delivered” the 13-year-old “sensation.”” You mean he’s actually admitting to this as if it’s a good thing?
yeah, that was my thought too…like, you are really taking credit for that?
Why such a controversy over another untalented teen “singer,” especially one responsible for the worst song in the history of recorded music? Go away Rebecca. You’re done.
She was not responsible for the worst song ever.
ARK Music Factory was. They created the song, remixed her great singing, and ultimately created the worst song the history of recorded music. If she did the song LIVE, it would actually sound better (Source: Good Morning America).
keep it off. maybe [and hopefully] everyone will forget about it and her very soon.
I don’t get why Rebecca is punishing us, her fans, by removing the video. We worked really hard to get this thing to 160M+ views. Now it is gone!
RIP Big Man.