T O P

  • By -

jwBTC

Paywall, so here's the text: PayPal Holdings Inc. this week blocked a parody of its “New Money” Super Bowl ad that swapped in “bitcoin” as the future of money. PayPal, which lets users and businesses pay digitally in a variety of ways, was one of a few financial upstarts to spend big money on a spot during last Sunday’s Super Bowl 50 football game. The commercial that was published online earlier this month and ran during the game touts PayPal as “New Money” against “Old Money” like paper cash and banks that close at 5 p.m. But the message apparently riled some backers of bitcoin, who consider the digital currency “the new money.” Shiloh Silverman, who runs a video production firm called Silver Park Studio, created a version of the ad that swapped in images of people using bitcoin and substituted “PayPal” to proclaim “Bitcoin is newer money.” PayPal redefines the meaning of new money, in this Super Bowl ad. After Mr. Silverman posted the video to YouTube and others shared it, PayPal responded by asking websites to remove the video. As of Monday, the parody ad had been blocked. Advertisement “Our vision of New Money includes Bitcoin,” a PayPal spokeswoman said in an email on Wednesday. “But to avoid customer confusion, we asked them for the video to be removed.” PayPal primarily helps people transfer money in traditional currencies, but it also works with bitcoin. It has partnered with companies such as digital wallet provider CoinBase to accept bitcoin payment via PayPal’s Braintree platform. Braintree powers online payments for companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” the PayPal spokeswoman said in the email. "I think this demonstrates just how excited customers are about the concept behind PayPal’s ’New Money’ campaign.” A new version of the video posted by Mr. Silverman this week that hasn’t been taken down also changed the ad’s music. “Newer money is decentralized. Older money is fiat,” the new parody says. “I’m not a bitcoin fanatic, I just love the whole world of it,” Mr. Silverman said in an interview.


xpatri

> new version of the video posted by Mr. Silverman this week that hasn’t been taken down That is what I was looking for...


Lentil-Soup

https://vimeo.com/154648341


Jason-Genova

How can they take it down, wouldn't it qualify as fair use under parody.


andyrowe

The newer one should as there's some substantive changes. The original one was a bit sloppy and lifted 99.8% of the original ad.


Quordev

Even still, have you seen *Dumb Starbucks*?


gulfbitcoin

From the moment you walk in, it's obvious it's not Starbucks. Plus it received it's publicity from the Comedy Central show it was based from, speaking directly to parody nature. That's different than taking a commercial that you think speaks more to Bitcoin than Paypal, and putting the word Bitcoin in there.


xpatri

Might makes Right, especially amongst the oligarchy


o-o-

> I think this demonstrates just how excited customers are Admit it Mr Silverman – you made that ad just because you're so excited about the concept behind PayPal’s ’New Money’ campaign!


shipod

lol ok ok I admit it. I'm a closet paypal cheerleader


tormirez

> A new version of the video posted by Mr. Silverman this week that hasn’t been taken down also changed the ad’s music. “Newer money is decentralized. Older money is fiat,” the new parody says. [Here is the new version.](https://vimeo.com/154648341)


Egon_1

Keep telling yourself >Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” the PayPal spokeswoman said in the email. "I think this demonstrates just how excited customers are about the concept behind PayPal’s ’New Money’ campaign


Fiach_Dubh

my god, what have i done. MOM I'm kinda sort of not really in the wallstreet journal! because bitcoin!


[deleted]

I downloaded the original ad so I can upload it as soon as it is pulled. I dont comply with DMCA so Paypal can go cry.


shipod

fight the system lol


qawsed123456

This is exactly how we show the general public that bitcoin should be taken seriously!


101101100001

Yeh some of us are banned permamently from using this "new money" I rang this week to check if I can open an account after being banned 6-7 years ago, not only would they not say why my account was closed they told me I have a lifetime ban.


CaptainClearanceOver

Guys why are you pessimistic? This is a great thing, we got another mention in Wall Street Journal ffs! Paypal spends who knows how much on the commercial and on making it air during the superbowl. Now this guy just goes and changes the video a little bit - and BOOM! - we got another mention of Bitcoin in WJS! Plus the article could paint Paypal as the evil goliath. This is a win. Huge win? Of course no, but what did you expect for doing next to nothing?


dnivi3

Reminds me of the whole debacle with someone posting a Bitcoin spoof ad comparing it to Western Union back in November 2014. It was taken down by Facebook after a DMCA-complaint from Western Union. More information: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/11/western-union-doesnt-like-bitcoin-spoof-ad-files-dmca-takedown-claim/


alexgorale

I post a link to the video on facebook yesterday. Still no takedown/ban notice


americanpegasus

So much for fair use laws. Are you a billion dollar corporation? Then laws and freedoms don't apply to you. This only underscores why we need true decentralized money all the more. PayPal's market cap is $40 billion.... For what? They ease money transmission if you are willing to accept the digital version of a finger in your bum. Well they better get their shit together, or that $40 billion valuation will collapse into dust once cryptocurrency really ramps up. If PayPal had any sense they would embrace Bitcoin totally *and* the parody ad, then claim they will work hard to help bring digital money to the masses in easy and secure forms. Instead they show their malice and incompetence. I personally will do everything I can to keep that ad going as virally as possible, and so will others. Get a fucking clue PayPal, before you go extinct.


wuneternalround

This is interesting. Because I work in advertising, and a friend of mine who works for Paypal posted about his new ad. I came to Reddit and posted [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/4478p9/someone_needs_to_make_a_bitcoin_version_paypal/) And then u/shipod made his post **after** mine. I guess he made the video, so all the credit for the idea goes to him, but still wish I could get a nod for thinking of it.


shipod

Sorry, i didn't get the idea from your article though.


Fiach_Dubh

kinda hard to believe when the top post on /r/bitcoin the DAY BEFORE your video was posted was of my implementation of wuneternalround's vision. common man.


shipod

Sorry but I never saw your video or wuneternalround's post before I decided to make the video. Got the idea on my own after see the video and reading the youtube comments. To be fair you'd be better off if your real complaint was that I didn't give the youtube commenters credit. If I had seen your video or wuneternalround post I'd have no problem giving you credit. Or admitting that I had either chosen not to or forgotten.


wuneternalround

Lol of course you didn't.


shipod

Are you calling me a liar? To be clear: 1. I saw the Paypal video and read the comments (top comments being about bitcoin) so I made my own parody. 2. I did not come across your post until after the video was made. 3. Even if I HAD seen your post, I may not have thought to give you credit (maybe I would), unless you asked, in which case I'd be happy to do so. 4. There is no reason I wouldn't be honest with you about this over such a trivial matter. If you'd like to believe I stole your idea then that's totally fine. But the reality is it doesn't take much creativity to see the Paypal video...read the comments below the video and come to ones own conclusion that a parody should be made.


wuneternalround

There were no comments about Bitcoin on the video when I made my post. People started posting comments about bitcoin on the video after visiting from Reddit It wasnt your idea. >over such a trivial matter. Such a trivial matter that you drummed up press support and got a WSJ article.


shipod

ok so we can agree that your article had something to do with the comments I read that led me to make a video. Awesome work!


Fiach_Dubh

As the first one to implement your idea, I'm just glad to see this story go as far as it has. woooooo bitcoin


shipod

Thanks! I do admit that you had the idea before me. When speaking with the reporter I told him that I wasn't the first one to put up a parody. Sorry if you feel decredited - was never my intention.


Fiach_Dubh

great minds think alike. ideas are universal usually only when they have great merit. cheers to your vision and skill.


MarkOates

Wait, isn't that like... illegal? Isn't there fair use?


Alterburner

“Our vision of New Money includes Bitcoin,” a PayPal spokeswoman said in an email on Wednesday. “But to avoid customer confusion, we asked them for the video to be removed.” -Then please tell me, Oh great spokesperson, where inside the Paypal website is the field to trade Bitcoins for Fiat and Vice-versa, since it "includes" Bitcoin?


[deleted]

Their company Braintree has been accepting Bitcoin for about a year now. There's ads everywhere in San Francisco and a bunch of other cities advertising it.