Judge's ruling [PDF] http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/files/viacom_youtube.PDF It will be interesting to see if G will be able to fight this further, and what kind of a president it will set
Google should definitely fight for us, I mean whats the big deal for gods sake. I mean, its like theres no privacy! And what the heck, the vids are up there, anyone can see any vid on YouTube......this is so angering...
Google would have to be "for us" in the first place. As the largest database of people's behavior on line and good buddies with CIA, they already infringe on everyone's privacy rights like there's no tomorrow. Handing this information to Viacom is nothing compared to what Google already does. Google spies on you everywhere you go and all this information is stored in their always growing database. Ever tried visiting nay of google's site after you've disabled cookies? Their cookie has a unique identifier for every person and everything you do on your computer is tracked by that cookie and filed under your unique ID. Google is not there for YOU.
What is wrong with you people??? Viacom has a legitimate complaint against all the people who are pirating their copyrighted materials. Jeez, so many people think stealing on the internet is OK but if somebody walked into your house and stole your wallet, you'd all cry like babies. I'm not against YouTube and there are many fine independent films, skater videos and pesonal vids that are getting to see the light of day because of YuoTube but all the knuckleheads posting copyrighted materials are just losers who will ruin something cool like YouTube for everybody else who only post things they actually own.
Yes but viacom has no right to be looking through everybody's personal information, their ips, their viewed videos etc. They just want that information so they can try and win even more money in their court case.
Unfortunately, as muncle stated, Google has been amassing all kinds of data about internet users through their search engine, Adsense, Analytics, webmasters tools, Gmail, etc... If you've never uploaded a copyrighted video to YouTube, I guess you have nothing to worry about... Except all the rest of the data Google is keeping on you.
This in itself sounds a but dodgy to me, what certifiable reason does Viacom have for being given YouTubes source code and database schema?
I sort of agree with both of you here.. but I have a slightly different look on it.. I do think that Viacom want the info so they can work out any "so called" potential losses of revenue they have incurred.. and they want "Google's advertising database schema" to see if Youtube are making any money from these "so called" pirated videos, and maybe try to make a case against Youtube for profiting from copyrighted material.. However.. I don't think Viacoms complaint is as legitimate as they try to make out.. I think that it is just a money grab from Viacom.. I personally don't think that a video uploaded to Youtube would have any impact on a films success. For starters, the sound and video quality is nothing compared to the quality you would get from a DVD let alone a Movie theater.. There is also the fact of a 10 minute limit to each video. In fact, I think that if people are even remotely interested in seeing a movie, (at a theater or on DVD) then watching part of it on Youtube would only make them want to go and see all of the movie in much better quality.. and therefore could be seen as a promotion of the movie.. I think Viacom are in cahoots with the RIAA, so I am going to side with Youtube on this one Only because I hate the RIAA with a passion. Just sharing my opinion Cheers James
I'm on the same side as you James and was thinking exactly the same thing but at least you took a moment to explain your opinion unlike the people who just said they hoped Google would "fight for us". I personally love YouTube because I'm one of those anti-pop type people. I'm not even slightly interested in bootlegged clips of the newest marvel comics movie, never seen an episode of American Idiot, could care less about Britney or Christina, etc.. I love YouTube for the vids of skaters getting harrassed by cops, homemade old school punk band vids you'd never get to see and stuff like street/gang fights caught on video, Coco Crisp charging the mound, etc... I guess you might say that YouTube is a bit voyeuristic for me. In all honesty, I've never copied a DVD in my life. Never ripped a CD because I can't be bothered with that junk. If I want a CD/DVD, I go buy it. Granted, most people can't afford to go spend $300 on CD's for the month but the old saying goes "If you can't afford it you don't need it". Google has been profiting from copyrighted materials for years through Adsense. Look at all the lyrics and tablature sites running Adsense for monetization. In Viacom's case, like the arseholes at the RIAA, they should realize that fans sharing stuff online only increases their visibility and market share. Jeez, think of how many people had walls full of copied VHS movies back before DVD's became popular !! oh and btw, the Harry Fox agency (who shut down OLGA) should be run out of business.... but... Google isn't as innocent as they pretend to be because they are invading internet privacy in every way, shape and form they can...