I Heart YouTube

My perspective as a consumer is in favor of Google/YouTube in this dispute. I would prefer that some copyright be violated as the price for the free flow of information and exchange of ideas on the Internet. In the short time YouTube has existed, video on the Internet has completely changed. The Internet gives a voice to millions of individuals and the speed of information distribution has increased exponentially. I believe that more strictly enforcing copyright infringement in this case would result in a chilling effect on information exchange to a greater degree than a potential chilling effect on creators. Many artists will continue to create and large content companies such as Viacom are compensated otherwise. Artists are able to use YouTube as a tool to gain exposure for their work; not just the created video itself, but the artist depicted in the video (i.e. Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent). I agree that there needs to be a balance between copyright protection technology and filtering measures. I believe both sides need to each bear a burden of attempting to protect (copyright owners) and preventing infringement (ISPs). I also believe that there is a market for higher quality content. The private market will create viable business models for both sides, but it is the current uncertainty in this developing area that does not yet provide clear rules for a potential model for the industry.