Deadspin Briefly Suspended From Twitter Over GIFs

The Twitter account for the sports website Deadspin was briefly suspended on Monday after the National Football League complained the site had posted copyrighted league animated GIFs. The punishment lasted about two hours.
By Monday afternoon, @Deadspin appeared to be reactivated and functioning again. 

Two important announcements: @Deadspin is back and fuck the Patriots.
— Lacey Donohue (@laceydonohue) October 12, 2015

The GIF account of rival sports news site SB Nation also was suspended:

Politico's Peter Sterne reported that the NFL was behind the request to suspend Deadspin. The league was said to have sent Twitter 18 notices citing Deadspin, alleging violations of the The Digital Millennium Copyright Act. 

I'm told that it was the NFL — not the MLBAM — that sent the DMCA takedown requests that got @deadspin suspended.
— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) October 12, 2015

I hear that the NFL sent Twitter more than a dozen DMCA takedown notices re Deadspin before the account was suspended.
— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) October 12, 2015

Per @Terr (who runs the @deadspin account), the NFL sent Twitter 18 DMCA takedown notices related to Deadspin posting NFL highlights GIFs.
— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) October 12, 2015

Deadspin officials just told me it appears the NFL got their Twitter account suspended. Unclear the exact reason why. @deadspin
— Ryan Parker (@TheRyanParker) October 12, 2015

 The NFL recently renewed a deal with Twitter to bring more football highlights to the social media platform. It's unclear if that partnership had anything to do with the suspensions.

So Twitter does a deal with the NFL and suddenly a media account is suspended for using GIFs of a game. What a coincidence
— Mathew Ingram (@mathewi) October 12, 2015

 In recent years, there has been debate over whether an animated GIF falls under “fair use” — the exception frequently cited by news organizations to avoid violating copyrights. But fair use isn't a black-and-white defense. And until a court rules on the short animations, conflict over the use of copyrighted video shorts will continue. 

We're also writing headlines on scraps of paper and just throwing them at people. ANALOG TWEETS
— Drew Magary (@drewmagary) October 12, 2015

ESPN's Keith Olbermann offered to host Deadspin on his own Twitter account while the site's account was under suspension. He briefly changed his bio to read: “Hosting @Deadspin until all this CSI GIF stuff gets cleared up.”

So, @Deadspin IS going to take me up on my offer after its account was suspended. TFN this is @Deadspin via KO.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 12, 2015

TWEET ON BEHALF OF @DEADSPIN ESPN shelves its Kevin Johnson documentary: http://t.co/HsSSF0yJTa
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 12, 2015

So, @Deadspin IS going to take me up on my offer after its account was suspended. TFN this is @Deadspin via KO.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 12, 2015

While Deadspin was unable to post GIFs, the site's Drew Magary improvised:

We can't post gifs so I'm making them for you! Here's the Cubs home run! https://t.co/QpR4vncX8b
— Drew Magary (@drewmagary) October 12, 2015

Once the @Deadspin Twitter account came back to life, it tweeted the ultimate comeback story: “The Many Horrible, Stupid Faces Of Roger Goodell: A Gallery Of Authoritarian Derp:”

TEST … TEST … http://t.co/VKN0osQQXl pic.twitter.com/BOStDQQ4yr
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) October 13, 2015

Twitter critics said the social media site's unbalanced policies violated its own terms of use. 

Deadspin (a sports website) twitter suspended for *gasp* posting sport gifs. Troll accounts who post rape threats? Nah you're cool.
— Matt Bungard (@TheMattBungard) October 12, 2015

Twitter spokesman Nu Wexler said the company doesn't comment on individual accounts. 

Wexler forwarded to HuffPost multiple takedown notices for the Deadspin and SBNation accounts. NFL, UFC, Big 12 and SEC all filed complaints. It was unclear whether the sites received additional notices that Wexler didn't provide.
UPDATE: 11:30 p.m. — The NFL said in a statement that it sent “routine notices as part of its copyright enforcement program requesting that Twitter disable links to more than a dozen pirated NFL game videos and highlights that violate the NFL's copyrights.” The statement added that the league “did not request that any Twitter account be suspended.”