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Viacom Becomes Poster Child for Good Cause Gone Overboard August 2, 2008

Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , trackback

If you think you have the worse job in the world, imagine working for Viacom in the public relations group. The organization has decided that, above all else, it must fiercely protect its copyrighted material. A worthy cause when your core asset is not your people, but your family of brands, movies and shows.

But is the legal attack on YouTube (which now appears to invade the privacy of YouTube creators and viewers) worth the fuss? Viacom is becoming the poster child for excess… a noble cause gone mannic like God-honoring terrorists. It’s making Disney look like Kevin MacLeod.

If you haven’t been keeping track, many of the most popular videos on YouTube right now anti-Viacom rants. In fact, I’m pretty sure I could hit the top of the “most rated” section if I shot a video of me pooping… as long as the title was “Viacom Sucks.” Heck- click here for a search on YouTube by the word “Viacom.”

TheReelWeeklyNews has made a whole cause out of calling out Viacom in a series of videos (with a somewhat annoyingly rhythmic speech pattern) that are further catalyzing the YouTube community’s absolute despise of Viacom. See video below.

Even the jaded are aghast. Viacom may have a legal right, but the PR damage will not soon heal. The real question is whether that damage will trickle down to Viacom’s otherwise beloved brands…

We’re talking big names with strong equity: Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, even AtomFilms and AddictingGames.

In the meantime, I’m staying the heck out of it, and making videos of myself pouring candy into my coffee. A cause against Viacom will forge a temporary bond among advocates of privacy and freedom of speech. But it’s fleeting. Like Stephen Covey says about bashing people behind their back… it forms a cheap morter.

I’d avocate that the energy now placed against Viacom (or Scientology for that matter) would be more influential if it was directed to a positive alternative. Kinda like athiesm — being anti-God isn’t really a sustainable position. You gotta be for something else. For athiests, maybe that’s pro-science or pro-intelligence or something. Not really sure. God strikes me as a bit more interesting than science. And while I’m on this tangent, why are athiests always trying to prove God doesn’t exist and force believers to prove He does? I believe in God but if you don’t, it doesn’t really concern me.

So what is that positive alternative to Viacom’s madness? I dunno. I’ll leave that to smarter people. I don’t even know what net neutrality means, so I’ll go penis poke someone.

Comments»

1. sukatra - August 2, 2008

Oh no. a serious blog. I guess I’ll really have to concentrate when I read it. Or if I read it.

2. sukatra - August 2, 2008

Annoying and egocentric beyond belief. If I ever saw that guy in person I would punch him in the face just for his voice. I agree with you. Whining about viacom is not enough. You gotta be proactive and offer up a positive alternative. Like hordes of people storming viacom’s offices with axes and torches, you know, kinda like they did in Frankstein.

Okay viacom, that was just a JOKE. I certainly don’t really mean for people to do that. So pull your goons out of my house and get the FBI off my back.

3. sukatra - August 2, 2008

Frankenstyne. This post is for the spelling nazi.

4. Peter Coffin - August 2, 2008

I do current events cartoons and I have stayed away from Viacom so far… I don’t know what to do about it that isn’t just “OMG VIACOM SUCKS LOLZ.” And I hate doing that because I hate watching it. It’s dull – and the flood of this material on YT is very dull.

5. Mike Abundo - August 2, 2008

The alternative to bashing Viacom is supporting any media entity that’s not as stupid.

Of course, that’s a lot media entities.

6. jischinger - August 2, 2008

All my posts on this topic are better than yours
[click if you're bored]

VIACOM should have used You Tube, not sued You Tube.

If you know this crap already skip this rant.

VIACOM was pissed google was making gobs of $ off their users illegally uploading shows like south park and the daily show. So they sued them for a billion$omething. When VIACOM won a lower court judgment; because Google’s lawyers suck and suck even more because they won’t fall into contempt and appeal to protect their users… (see earlier rant on this blog)

Anyway after the judgment VIACOM felt the power of pissed off tubers especially, since the ruling allowed VIACOM to get every damn piece of information and I mean EVERY thing you or anyone has ever done on You Tube. They wanted: IPs, comments, views, shares, IPs, favorites, uploads, downloads, IPs, mistakes, every single click!

Of course the judge did protected Google’s source code; but a good question and something to be even more pissed off about is – Why is Google storing all this information in the first place? Especially, after they stated they have no use for it.

Anyway right now VIACOM is the bad guy. When they figured this out, or rather stared feeling it, they began to offer complete shows for free on their web site – well duh!

What they should have done was ask You Tube to remove as needed (like check your front page guys!) advertise on You Tube showing short clips and inviting you to come on over and watch the whole thing on their site; which is what they are doing now, with commercials.

Welp, hindsight is 20/20, eh?

The video above only makes Viacom and yes You Tube look like bigger idiots than they already are.

I honestly can’t tell if this is a lawyerly PR tactic or if management is really that bad. Knowing 1st hand how little You Tube cares about its users I figure it’s the latter.

Google needs to erase that stored information. The only problem for Google is if they do that, and the gauntlet falls, they won’t have the users to blame and share in the law suits.. and legally, worse for you if you’re a partner and get busted…

Here’s where I part company with you Kev and why I think everyone who enjoys You Tube should get involve and know what’s going on- The war has just begun; this is why I really enjoyed Renetto’s snarkiness – he was absolutely correct in how this could all go down if they don’t find some common ground fast. If Google starts pointing fingers at users You Tube will have such a war on its hands you’ll be lucky to upload a video in a day and think about it, if You Tube can’t even manage their front page how are they going to stop and rectify all the DMCAs you’re about to find in your e-mail? This could get really really ugly. The only real resolution to all the problems will have to come from Congress via a change in the copyright laws.

…

In short Net Neutrality is like a garden hose that pours out a nice strong stream of water fast, good pressure. One day you wake up, go out to water the flowers and you notice that the hose only dribbles – you call the water company and they say if you want more water pressure you’ll have to pay big bucks to get it and you’ll only be able to get that pressure certain times a day, maybe, if you’re lucky.

IOW – The Pressure is how fast you connect to the net and the Time is what web pages you get to see on the net. Here’s the picture again: http://jischinger.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/netneutrality.jpg

or go to my blog and in the side search type in – net neutrality
some good explanations, mostly videos

….

I have no manna with atheists, christians or scientologist, they should all stfu! j/k it’s a free country, let’s keep it that way

7. Peter Coffin - August 2, 2008

Well, you bastard you, Nalts. In making this blog post, it made my brain start working on this crap.

Now I have a script. And I like it. So I have to make it. Damn.

8. Reubnick - August 2, 2008

Oh god Nalts. Now I’m thinking of Viacom, and I’m sure they could find some sort of way to sue me for that. Thanks a lot. Now I have to go cower in a closet, and think of my dog on a unicycle until the thought of Viacom goes away!

By the way, I couldn’t watch any more of that video. That guy’s voice is sooooo boring.

9. nalts - August 2, 2008

Hey!!!!!! I’m feeling kinda honest today, so here’s three things about me that I bet you didn’t know:

1. 90% of my subscribers? I paid them to subscribe to me.
2. I use that extenze stuff to make that “certain part of my body” larger. You know, my weiner.
3. I’m kind of a tool.
4. Wait, you already knew #3. So I’ll add another fun fact.
5. I shave my balls.

10. Marilyn - August 2, 2008

OK, Viacom is a big corporation and it is trendy to hate big corporations. This whole Viacom thing is out of control. They have every right to protect their intellectual property. I am NOT saying I am on their side: I think they have gone WAY overboard on occasion and I do not agree with their tactics. However, it’s not like YouTube hasn’t been aware of Viacom’s concerns for some time now. But YT needs to support its users better.

BTW, this guy’s voice is REALLY annoying.

And thank you, sukatra, for giving me my misspelling fix for the day. Even though Kevin already did it in his post.

11. Marilyn - August 2, 2008

#9: Sukatra, is that you?

12. Peter Coffin - August 2, 2008

Of course it’s trendy to hate big corporations – they make ass tons of money and most do not. Plus, success is boring – desolation is what breeds artists. And oh is it trendy to be a starving artist!

13. sukatra - August 2, 2008

I agree with Peter.

14. JimmerSD - August 3, 2008

1) Nalts! I never got my check!
2) EW! TMI
3) You can’t be an Alan Wrench because your name’s not Alan.
4) eh?
5) EWWW!!! WAY TMI!!!

15. Peter Coffin - August 3, 2008

And on the subject of being anti-something:

The reason people are anti-Viacom or anti-Scientology is because these are things that most people don’t really know what bad stuff these particular entities do. If you asked “what is Scientology,” the majority of answers would be “some weird thing that Tom Cruise does” and not “a pyramid scheme developed by L. Ron Hubbard 3 years after he said on-record ‘the best way to make money would be to start a religion’ and developed some crazy stuff about intergalactic tyrants to have lore, which every religion needs.”

Scientology messes with lives, and if more people knew more about it, it would have less power. Viacom is less bad, but still – if people don’t know their privacy could be invaded, are they going to spend any effort fighting it?

Now, on the subject of atheism; I’m not religious. I would have to say there is probably something out there, but I don’t want to know what it is. I would much rather be what I think is a good person for the hell of it rather than to stay out of hell. BUT I think atheism is stupid. You are essentially saying that literally all that exists is what is proven now by subscribing to atheism. By that logic, you cannot be pro-science as science is constantly searching for the undiscovered and the unknown. To say “something that isn’t proven as of now is not real” means that if you subscribe to your own logic, EVERYTHING that isn’t proven as of now is not real.

Which is why they are anti-religion rather than pro-something. Their logic defeats any development.

16. sukatra - August 3, 2008

What Peter said.

17. Marilyn - August 4, 2008

What sukatra said Peter said.

18. somecallmejim - August 7, 2008

@ Nalts:

The money wasn’t the reason I subscribed (though it was a nice gesture). I really subscribed because of that awesome meat & cheese basket you sent us. The card was a bit over-the-top (what was with the lipstick kisses on the inside?) but the rest was very tasteful.

19. Rob - August 19, 2008

All I see vocal atheists doing is trying to keep theists from shoving God down their throats. You have a problem with that? Then pray for forgiveness.

20. Marilyn - August 19, 2008

Not quite sure I understand your point Rob: Are you a theist or an atheist?

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Viacom Becomes Poster Child for Good Cause Gone Overboard August 2, 2008

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