VIDEO: YouTube pulls original RickRoll video

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24 February 2010 14:41 GMT / By Duncan Geere

Google appears to have removed the original Rickroll video from its YouTube sharing site, at the time of writing, following what the site is calling a "terms of use violation".

The music clip, for Rick Astley's 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up", had racked up more than 30 million views after imageboard 4chan began linking people to it as a prank. The phenomenon picked up speed and became known as Rickrolling, receiving wide media attention and giving Astley a surprise boost to his career.

It's not entirely clear exactly how or why the video has suddenly violated YouTube's terms of use - it's possible that someone may have filed a complaint as a prank and was automatically taken down. We wouldn't be surprised if YouTube's moderators are a little twitchy following the jail sentences handed out to Google execs in Italy.

One thing's for sure, though. The video's titular promise has turned out not to be true.

Via: neowin.net

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