'Baby Yoda' GIFs were pulled down for copyright reasons, but GIPHY has returned them to the internet

• After Vulture put together a bunch of "Baby Yoda" GIFs featuring the breakout star of "The Mandalorian," the GIFs were removed from the GIF-sharing platform GIPHY for "copyright reasons."
• Vulture responded by doing the article with original artwork of Baby Yoda instead, but the removal raised questions over what Disney's stance on GIF use of its characters was and whether making GIFs constituted copyright infringement.
• At the same time, other Baby Yoda GIFs were still popping up on GIPHY, and they're clearly in use around the web, if the countless memes and reactions are any indication.
• A GIPHY spokesperson told Insider that "there was some confusion around certain content uploaded to GIPHY and we temporarily removed these GIFs while we reviewed the situation," but the Baby Yoda GIFs have since been returned to the platform.
• GIF use and copyright have yet to be litigated in the US.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

After an apparent crackdown on "Baby Yoda" GIFs, the matter has been settled and the adorable renderings of the internet's favorite sci-fi infant have returned.

A GIPHY spokesperson told Insider that "there was some confusion around certain content uploaded to GIPHY and we temporarily removed these GIFs while we reviewed the situation," confirming that the GIFs that had been copyright claimed were live on the platform once more.

Previously, Vulture reviewer Kathryn VanArendonk tweeted that for an article about the storyline of the internet's breakout obsession from Disney's "The Mandalorian," the publication put together several GIFs of the little creature lovingly termed Baby Yoda.

"The Mandalorian" is part of the Disney Plus streaming service, and the show set in the "Star Wars" universe is the most popular streaming hit of 2019. Vulture used the GIF-making and -sharing website GIPHY to create its own, but received an email saying the content had been removed "for copyright reasons," VanArendonk said.

VanArendonk told Insider that Vulture received a "pretty standard DMCA takedown notice" in an email from GIPHY, referring to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which is intended to regulate copyright-infringement issues online. It didn't state who made the complaint, though GIPHY issued apologies to both Vulture and Disney.

Vulture responded by making its own artwork of Baby Yoda instead, but the GIF removal raised questions about whether Baby Yoda GIFs would be considered copyright infringement. There isn't US legal precedent stating whether GIFs made from copyrighted material fall under copyright-infringement law.

A Forbes article on the topic argued that a "Star Wars" GIF could be considered fair use because it was "transformative" and didn't undermine the market for the original material.

"No one, for instance, is going to watch a 'Star Wars' GIF instead of the original movie," said Jeff John Roberts, a former lawyer who writes about technology, publishing, and privacy. But the legality of GIFs can't truly be determined until the matter comes before a court.

Regardless, searching "baby yoda" on GIPHY returns several GIF results — and, of course, Baby Yoda GIFs are still prominent elsewhere on social media and the internet.

• Read more:
• Baby Yoda merchandise will be available for the holidays and you can start buying some of it online right now
• 'The Mandalorian' director approves of calling the show's breakout obsession 'Baby Yoda,' so you can stop arguing about it now
• 'Last Jedi' director Rian Johnson describes seeing baby Yoda on 'The Mandalorian' set: 'It's so beautiful'
• 'The Mandalorian' creator Jon Favreau just shared the first design of 'Baby Yoda,' and people can't handle the cuteness

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