On Google/YouTube Mating
October 10th, 2006 | brainjuice
An acquaintance of mine said something very interesting about this.
They said that… well, what happened to all those threats to sue YouTube? There’s a fair chance back channels were opened via which YouTube could whisper, “don’t do that, something huge is gonna happen soon, here’s a few million in equity, trust us, we can afford it.” That’s speculation, obviously — though, equally obviously, Universal and the like were somehow sedated in recent months. What isn’t speculation is the observation that YouTube is a site that got its profile by presenting lifted copyrighted material — and now it’s been valued at 1.65 BILLION dollars. If you don’t think everyone and their wife is now going to start suing Google for illegally broadcasting copyrighted material, you’re insane. You’re also insane if you think the companies who weren’t somehow placated by YouTube into not destroying them a few months ago didn’t already have suits prepared and in the drawer waiting for the exact second this was announced.
At which point they get Napstered: just papered into oblivion by legal action.
1.65 billion American dollars, for some perspective, buys around forty tons of cocaine. Which may, in the long run, prove to be a better investment.
(Also: GooTube. That’s not good.)














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