Intersection of Copyright, Users, and the Law = Stinky
By Jason Moriber • Jul 3rd, 2008 • Category: Loose Ends, Shout OutsYouTube, who takes a liberal approach to safeguarding copyrights, enables the law to become trounced by the ease-of-use. If I can copy a video-clip and post it, so easily, then it can’t be wrong to do so.(?) It’s the way we are behaving, and behavior leads the market. The old media companies need to get up to speed, it’s not my fault I’ve figured a way to get their content. Hmmm.
The argument that “it’s what the people are doing, and the big media companies are jerks so screw ‘em”, doesn’t hold up to copyright law. If GoogleTube expected that users would want this type of experience they should have gone the way of Apple, make a business model that works, such as charging for downloads and sharing the revenues, splitting the ad-revenues, AND protecting their members. It’s YouTube that has thrown it’s members into the pit, not the Judge who orders them to divulge data.
To me the problem is that most everyone is broke, relying on credit-cards for the past 20 years(?) to buy stuff, and there is so much out there to get, and like most folks the temptation is too strong. Oh, you have the new Feist as MP3s, can I get those? Oh look at that, it’s my favorite TV show, just smaller. Is individual economic discipline the answer? It’s hard not to stare at a fire, but there might be better models yet tried. I’m always amazed how Wal-mart sticks it to their vendors to get the pricing they want, isn’t there a way we content-lovers can get together and figure out a way where all parties (the artists, producers, performers, studios AND the viewers) get their just rewards, at a decent price? This current model is broken, no matter how popular. Besides, they can’t catch us all…
Techrunch: “Judge Protects YouTube’s Source Code, Throws Users To The Wolves”
Mashable: “Unless you’ve been extra careful to only watch non-copyrighted videos on YouTube (yeah, right), Viacom could sue you.”
Jason Moriber is a veteran product/project/marketing manager, underground artist/musician, and online community developer, Jason expertly builds/produces/manages clients' projects, programs, and campaigns.
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