I thought that I would briefly touch on the pending $1 Billion dollar ‘spat’ between Viacom and YouTube. If you would like to read a more in depth analysis and description of the lawsuit you should check out this piece from the WSJ’s online Opinion Page written by Paul Kedrosky.

He notes that it is consumer rebellion is the real issue at hand, not intellectual property.

While a few hundred thousand people viewing 20-second clips of cats vomiting might not seem so economically injurious, that is not, with some justification, the way Viacom sees it.

they will watch what they want when they want to watch it

 
The way I look at it, the youth that are currently the primary users of the video sharing site are increasingly familiar with having things their way. They are very self-absorbed and want to know and share everything about their cliques as frequently and as easily as possible. MySpace, Facebook, Friendster – they have all become the digital equivalent of hanging out at the mall. This new generation wants their music and their videos in their pockets and on their phones; internet access via the highest possible speeds wherever they go, on demand; and as far as regularly scheduled programming is concerned – well, they just don’t budget their time that way – they will watch what they want when they want to watch it.

It’s no surprise that users have already uploaded thousands of videos in response to this lawsuit. Some are more graphic and expletive than others – hey, free speech, they do what they want, remember? – but I managed to find a tasteful, entertaining clip which encapsulates the feelings of many YouTubers. (Take notice to the song playing in the background - "They’re not gonna get us!")  

The Revolution may not be televised, but it will be on YouTube!

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