I just read TechCrunch to get some updates on what’s going on around the valley and found this this pretty amazing post Huh? YouTube Sends TechCrunch A Cease & Desist. I actually laughed…
They have to be kidding. Regardless if this is part of a legal strategy, it really make no sense coming from an online video source who has enabled millions, and millions of users to upload copyrighted material. All of a sudden they now start to protect their own “copyrights” and claim this material should only be made available via their site.
I think this is pretty interesting. I can understand what they now would like to get control over the flow of the material but I am not sure send Cease & Desist is the right strategy, especially since the trackrecord of copyright violation via the YouTube users are not that short so to say. It makes perfect sense as they probably soon will end up with a lot of disputes regarding copyrights. Personally I think it is pretty naive not to understood it would end up on TechCrunch and later on spread like fire inside the blogosphere.
Personally I actually don’t like any violation of copyright issues, but do very much promote Creative Commons License for content and Open Source licences and even the Free Software License (GPL). I will leave that discussion for another occasion. Their intentions will be questioned regardess of what the reasons are.
Hmmm. Hypocracy or pretty ironic as Michael Arrington puts it.
Of course, the irony of YouTube accusing others of copyright infringement is delicious.
Building communities are hard, but they are easily destroyed. Keep your fingers crossed, YouTube! You are really walking a narrow path!
