This is DUMB, Dumb, dumb… I don't know if this is Viacom's (owner of CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, etc., way of strong-arming GooTube on negotiations, a (legitimate) effort to protect their intellectual party, or a partisan-inspired tactic to limit more GOP criticism. In any case, history will show that short clips "pirated" online LEAD to increased CONSUMPTION of broadcast media, just as those who "steal" music ALSO buy more pre-recorded CDs.
I received a couple of emails from YouTube this afternoon (see below) notifying me that a third party (probably attorneys for Comedy Central) had made a DMCA request to take down Colbert Report and Daily Show clips. If you visit YouTube, all Daily Show, Colbert Report and South Park clips are now gone. Dumb, dumb, dumb… Just like the record industry, people who "pirate" content also "consume" (and pay) for more content. Comedy Central (and Viacom) may be shooting themselves in the foot by trying to monopolize (which legally they can) the distribution to their content.
Tags: ComedyCentral, DMCA, Google, JonStewart, StephenColbert, Web_2.0, youtube
