Samsung 'blocks' exploding Note 7 parody videos.

Samsung appears to have filed copyright
claims against YouTube videos mocking its recalled Galaxy Note 7 handset.

Many gamers have showcased a modification to video game Grand Theft Auto V, in which sticky bombs were switched with exploding Samsung phones.

But some have reported that their videos
have been blocked on YouTube following a
copyright complaint.

Samsung has not yet responded to repeated
BBC requests for comment.

Critics have warned that trying to remove
gamers' videos will only draw more attention to them.

The Galaxy Note 7 was recalled and
discontinued in October after reports that
some handsets were catching fire.

One US gamer - known as DoctorGTA - said
restrictions had been put on his YouTube
account as a result of Samsung's complaint.

"It's going to take three months to get the
strike removed from my channel... I got my
live stream taken away," he said in a video.
"It really sucks, because I really worked hard on this channel."

Some viewers warned that Samsung was at
risk of invoking the Streisand Effect - a term
used to denotes increased publicity as a
result of attempts to remove embarrassing
online content.

It was first used in 2005 by Mike Masnick,
founder of the website Techdirt, following a
failed attempt by singer Barbra Streisand to
sue a photographer who posted a picture of
her seaside home.

The original download page for the Grand
Theft Auto V modification, created by player HitmanNiko, has not been taken offline.