Cathay Pacific Angry About Video Portraying Business Class Flyers As Perverts

Cathay Pacific Airline is outraged over a satirical video that depicts their business class flyers as sexual perverts. The YouTube video was made by Taiwan’s Next Media Animation, famous for their satirical news videos done in the style of The Sims. The three minute clip shows many of the male passengers in the high priced business class section joining the auto-erotic division of the Mile High Club by masturbating on the sly in their extra large, reclining seats.

Next Media claims to have received many complaints about in-flight masturbation from Cathay customers, and they are adamant they made to video to make the public aware of the problem. Of course, a bit of controversy is also a great way to attract attention to the company’s abundant creative talents.

Needless to say, Cathay Pacific was not amused and demanded that YouTube remove the video. After the airline was initially successful and the video was pulled, Next Media reminded YouTube of their rights under US copyright law, which exempts satire, parody, and criticism. The video was restored to YouTube, which prompted the following comments from Next Media:

“On September 17, 2012, we posted the video: ‘Cathay Pacific Business Class: designed for perverts?’ ”

“”The animation dealt with the issue of masturbation by male passengers in the Business Class section on Cathay Pacific’s long-haul flights. The animation was based on complaints made to NMA.”

“Cathay Pacific, of course, did not like the video. It asked NMA to remove the video but we refused. Never in the course of Cathay’s correspondence with NMA did Cathay address the issue that males passengers have been seen masturbating aboard Cathay flights.”

“Cathay first sought to limit distribution of the video, claiming the animation violated YouTube’s community standard guidelines.”

“Then, for extra measure, it asked YouTube to remove the video altogether under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, claiming NMA had violated Cathay’s copyright.”

“In the United States, copyright law has carved our exceptions for satire, parody and criticism. But in Hong Kong, where Cathay is based, efforts are being made to stifle criticism via copyright:”

“We strongly oppose any such efforts. We’re Next Media Animation. We don’t like censorship. We don’t like bullies.”

“We call on Google to do what’s right and protect YouTube as platform for satire, parody and criticism.”

The actual video is quite funny, but it certainly needs an PG rating and it is not hard to imagine why the airline would be upset over the contents. Of course that does not give them the right to act like fascists and try to remove a harmless satirical video that many viewers found incredibly entertaining. All Cathay accomplished was to give the video much more publicity than it ever would have received if they had just made the decision to grin and bear it.

Masturbation on airlines is not as uncommon as you might think. In 2008, a woman named Centava Dozier filed a $200,000 lawsuit against American Airlines, claiming a male passenger was masturbating in the seat next to her and ejaculated in her hair. Althought the man was arrested after the flight, the woman said the flight attendants were unresponsive and she was forced to turn to another passenger for comfort.

How much of a problem masturbation on airlines is remains to be seen. Most passengers would probably be uncomfortable to see another person masturbating in a seat near them, and it is certainly to be expected that the flight attendants ask the offending party to cease and desist. However, we are stating the obvious, and, despite the objections of Cathay Airlines, the video is not graphic and it is hilarious. You may decide for yourself by simply watching the video on YouTube.

Update: The Inquisitr’s own Robert Jonathan recently reported on the latest Next Media video, which takes a humorous look at the Romney-Obama debate. Be sure to check out Robert’s article and view the new video.