Viacom Inc. said that it has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google Inc. and its Internet video sharing baby YouTube over unauthorized use of its copyrighted entertainment. The suit accuses Google and YouTube of “massive intentional copyright infringement” of Viacom’s entertainment assets and seeks an injunction against further violations. Massive here refers to the 160,000 unauthorized clips that Viacom said have been uploaded and viewed more than 1.5 billion times. So, why just ask for $1 billion? Go ask for $1.5 billion.

In a statement, Google said “”that YouTube has respected the legal rights of copyright holders. We will certainly not let this suit become a distraction to the continuing growth and strong performance of YouTube and its ability to attract more users, more traffic and build a stronger community.”

Originally posted on March 13, 2007 @ 8:21 am

With profitability way off their radar, Friendster finally found a better and easier way for them to make money. The social networking pioneer finally realized that they can join the crowd of web sites that relies on Google for a large piece of their advertising.

Under an expanded deal Friendster will soon display ads from Google based on Web search requests– a method that has proven to be one of the Internet’s biggest moneymakers, yet has escaped Friendster’s radar over the past.

Last year, Google pocketed a $3.1 billion profit while distributing another $3.3 billion in revenue to its thousands of online ad partners. Friendster hopes to have some of that pie. Good. Next time, please don’t be late.

Originally posted on March 12, 2007 @ 7:29 am

blogTV.ca, Canada’s first and only live, user-generated video website, is broadcasting content 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the streets of Toronto. All month long beginning this week, a blogTV.ca Hummer will travel the city offering Torontonians the opportunity to broadcast their stories, opinions and talents. This initiative is part of a larger national blogTV.ca marketing campaign rolling out throughout the spring.

“We are very excited about blogTV.ca and the power it gives to people to be their own broadcasters,” says Claude Galipeau, Senior Vice President of Digital Media for Alliance Atlantis. “We’ve decided to hit the streets to show off its power and showcase this new platform to Canadians while providing content 24/7 to our online users.”

This is way too cool! For me, anyone or anything that allows people to contribute content, or broadcast content for this matter, is exciting. So, I visited the link, wanting to watch Torontonians tell their stories and opinions. This is what I got… Sad…

Originally posted on March 12, 2007 @ 10:28 am

Partnering with Hollywood, the BitTorrent Entertainment Network has opened a store to distribute more than 5,000 titles from movies, TV shows, and games.

It is going head-on against iTunes but boasts of allies such as 20th Century Fox, Lions Gate, and MGM Studios. BitTorrent agreed to deploy digital rights management (DRM) on content it sells ot rents.

“Our partners require DRM protection for their titles,” BitTorrent President Ashwin Navin said. “They are being cautious with a new distribution model. As the demand goes up, our partners will probably explore DRM-free options.”

Estimates show that there are 125 million BitTorrent users trading more than a million movies each day.

Originally posted on February 26, 2007 @ 5:58 am

CollegeHotList.com, a social networking site designed exclusively “for college students by college students,” officially launched today. The website has been customized to allow its members to stay informed about local campus life, socialize with other students, create “HotLists” to rate everything from their favorite places and photos to videos and products, and even plan social gatherings through a specialized forum tailored exclusively for college students.

“We’ve set out to create the most usable social networking site tailored exclusively for college students, and are excited to be unveiling this dynamic site to our generation,” says Gianni Martire, CollegeHotList.com co-founder. “There has never before been such a forum to help college students get the most out of their college experience…until now.”

It’s exclusive for college. Remember Facebook? They opened their network to everyone. Remember?

Originally posted on February 26, 2007 @ 10:57 am