Steven Leitman Included Music From “Wizard Of Oz.” That Led To Copyright Ban.
PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A South Florida man is taking a fight for his digital life to court, filing a lawsuit against tech giants Google and YouTube, along with Warner Bros. Entertainment. The legal action, filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, seeks a “pure bill of discovery” to uncover who is behind a series of copyright claims that led to the sudden termination of his personal account. Steven Leitman claims that his collection of personal videos, which included family memories and clips from a trip to the Las Vegas Sphere, has been permanently locked away due to what he believes are fraudulent reports.
The problem started in September 2025 when the Leitman uploaded a handful of videos featuring music from the classic film The Wizard of Oz. While the platform initially flagged the content without penalty, the situation escalated rapidly. Within 12 hours, the Leitman’s account was hit with multiple copyright strikes and completely disabled, preventing the owner from filing a counter-notification or even downloading copies of his own footage. The lawsuit alleges that the Leitman’s account was never monetized and was used strictly for sharing experiences with friends and family.
Central to the legal complaint is the identity of the person who filed the copyright strikes. While the notifications appeared to come from a Warner Bros. email address, the plaintiff’s research suggests the account was actually operated by an unrelated third party pretending to be the entertainment mogul. After numerous failed attempts to contact both the alleged reporter and YouTube’s support team, Leitman filed suit.
The lawsuit is asking a judge to allow for depositions and subpoenas to internet service providers to unmask the anonymous tipster. Read the complete lawsuit, below.
