And Then YouTube Was Filtered
According to Mercury News, Google is going to start filtering YouTube videos for copyrighted materials, as a first substantial step towards curbing the rampant piracy on the site. Google will using technology from Los Gatos-based Audible Magic; technology that has previously garnered mention in Supreme Court’s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios vs. Grokster ruling as evidence that it is possible for file-sharing services to keep illegally obtained or shared files off their networks.
While this move will please many industry folk and possibly help Google sign licensing deals with major studios, it will not sit well with a large part of YouTube’s audience.
YouTube is “definitely going to lose popularity,” said Jesse Drew, acting director of the technocultural studies program at University of California-Davis. “These things become popular because they are underground and free and accessible.”
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“Popular” and “underground” are conflicting attributes.
Once something moves from the underground into wider public acceptance, its support will transfer from people who imagine they’re being subversive to people who know they’re making some money. Both groups do what is necessary to sustain their effort.
By billg on February 23, 2007 5:27 pm