It's happening again -- corporate monster takes on internet behemoth.
Viacom (amongst others) aren't happy that Youtube are hosting clips of it's TV shows and music videos, and raking in advertising revenue in the process. So they've fired off a $1 billion lawsuit.
Surely it would be much more sensible for Youtube to introduce a nominal annual charge of say $20 US to allow full access and uploading of anything legal? That way they could placate the majors, keep a bit for themselves and still pull in some advertising.
There's also an advantage for the majors in that Youtube undoubtedly drives traffic in their direction. Take music videos for example. Youtube has proved an absolute treasure trove for music videos (vintage and current) and live clips dating right back to the 60s. It's a little slice of heaven for devoted fans and I'm positive it increases demand for live shows and back catalogue.
I doubt many would baulk at a small annual fee for the chance to watch material unavailable or hard to source elsewhere. Surely everyone's a winner here?
Unfortunately such a solution has yet to be reached and Viacom etc are attempting to put the genie back in the box in much the same way as the music industry attacked the likes of Napster a few years back. The future is now and working out a formula beneficial to all is surely preferable to messy courtroom battles where only the fat lawyers will come out smiling.
Viacom (amongst others) aren't happy that Youtube are hosting clips of it's TV shows and music videos, and raking in advertising revenue in the process. So they've fired off a $1 billion lawsuit.
Surely it would be much more sensible for Youtube to introduce a nominal annual charge of say $20 US to allow full access and uploading of anything legal? That way they could placate the majors, keep a bit for themselves and still pull in some advertising.
There's also an advantage for the majors in that Youtube undoubtedly drives traffic in their direction. Take music videos for example. Youtube has proved an absolute treasure trove for music videos (vintage and current) and live clips dating right back to the 60s. It's a little slice of heaven for devoted fans and I'm positive it increases demand for live shows and back catalogue.
I doubt many would baulk at a small annual fee for the chance to watch material unavailable or hard to source elsewhere. Surely everyone's a winner here?
Unfortunately such a solution has yet to be reached and Viacom etc are attempting to put the genie back in the box in much the same way as the music industry attacked the likes of Napster a few years back. The future is now and working out a formula beneficial to all is surely preferable to messy courtroom battles where only the fat lawyers will come out smiling.
1 comment:
Have you given up on blogging? :( I hope not. I do enjoy reading them. Keep it up eh!?
Bree
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