After initially having Greenpeace’s super viral “Lego Movie” parody pulled from YouTube, Warner Bros. has withdrawn its complaint and the clip has been put back up on the video site.
The video, which drowns characters from WB’s mega-hit film in oil, was made as a protest against the toy company’s $116 million sponsorship deal with Shell Oil. It had reached over 3 million views on YouTube in just a couple of days, before it was taken down late Thursday.
See video: ‘Lego Movie’ Parody Is a Terrifying Protest Against Oil Companies
It was a rights issue, a source told TheWrap, which often come with YouTube clips based on — and parodying — movies.
The video’s removal only fueled Greenpeace’s fire, which taunted Lego and Warner Bros. and linked to the Vimeo-hosted version of the video.
Did we offend someone? Banned from YouTube, back up on Vimeo. Watch our LEGO video http://t.co/KDmHm1sjhS #BlockShell pic.twitter.com/zQTYGKUcLL
— Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) July 11, 2014
Warner Bros. ultimately withdrew the complaint, leading to the video’s return. With so many videos that use the breakout hit song uploaded to YouTube, the company says it takes rights violations on a case-by-case basis.
Shell and Lego actually worked with each other making branded toys from the 1960s to the ’90s, before Lego just began making toys featuring a fictional oil company called Octan. In an ironic twist, given the situation that has erupted, the evil Lord Business runs that fictional company called Octan in “The Lego Movie.”
Watch the parody video below: