So the YouTube/Google deal is done, even though it flies in the face of the dire warnings of Mark Cuban… “Would Google be crazy to buy YouTube? No doubt about it. Moronic would be the understatement of a lifetime." and others, including me, that YouTube was a copyright-violation meltdown waiting to happen. But in a nicely timed bit of news, YouTube announced a series of deals that might just lift the threat of all kinds of nasty litigation. They have entered into agreements with CBS, Vivendi's Universal Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment under which the companies would offer content through YouTube (clips from CBS programming, music videos and such from the others) while helping it develop its technology for finding and removing unauthorized copyrighted content. A similar arrangement was reached with Warner Music Group last month. So who knows, it may turn out to be a good deal after all. But for $1.6 billion of my money, I’d certainly hope so!
When you have $1.6 billion to spend, you can throw a heck of a party!
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