YouTube was in existence for 18 months before Google acquired it. And it was probably just as well the search giant did, because the burgeoning online video site was massively expensive to run, and there wasn’t any sign of profit being made any time soon.

Google Vs. Viacom

The Google vs. Viacom legal battle is rapidly approaching its crescendo, with both sides likely to meet in court and tell their own side of the story regarding the copyright infringements that formed a big part of the site’s early days.

As part of the recently-revealed legal documents, confidential profit and loss information was uncovered. Which NewTeeVee has used to build a picture of how YouTube was financed before Google took the site over in October 2006.

BG – Before Google

YouTube’s co-founders – Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim – purchased the YouTube domain in February 2005. Between then and August 2006, when acquirers started being sought, they spent $11.5 million on the site.

$8 million of that total went on infrastructure, with hosting costs hitting $1 million a month between June 2006 and August 2006. The other $3.5 million was spent on paying and training employees, and on travel and costs as the founders pimped their site out to potential purchasers.

The first revenue came in December 2005, but it was a paltry $15,000. In total, YouTube pulled in around $5 million in revenue in its first 18 months, with revenues in the ‘Before Google’ period peaking at $2.5 million in August 2006.

AG – After Google

Before Google came in and bought the site for $1.65 billion in October 2006, YouTube had existed on two rounds of funding totaling around $11.5 million. Which seems meager now considering the price Google ended up paying.

YouTube was on the verge of profitability when Google took over, but the search giant decided to focus on building its user base at the expense of profit for at least a year. Google CEO Eric Schmidt wanted “to grow playbacks to 1b/day [one billion per day].” A target that was finally reached in October 2009, three years after Google’s costly acquisition.

Now, and since early 2008, Google is desperately trying to turn YouTube into a profitable part of its business. Premium content is being added to the site all the time, and adverts, and different types of adverts are steadily increasing. Although a profit is still not guaranteed.

Conclusions

I wonder how long YouTube would have survived had Google not acquired the site when it did. Sure, it was about to turn a profit, but the running costs of managing the user base could easily have outstripped revenue as time went on.

The online video world would unarguably be a vastly different place without YouTube. For better or worse.

Going around in a scooter can be pretty fun, but why not do so while being environmentally friendly? The E300 Razor Electric Scooter will help your daily commute without having to have a tinge of regret, where it has a larger deck, frame and tires for older teens and adult riders, traveling up to 15 miles per hour to make this the speediest Razor electroc scooter yet. Since it runs off electric power, the chain driven motor is super quiet. Just be careful that you don’t “sneak” up on pedestrians and joggers in this since it is deadly silent, lest you give them a shock of their lives. Once you’re done with your journey, you can fold it into a portable package, making it a snap to tote around on a holiday, on public transport or just day trips. Each full charge offers a range of 9 to 11.5 miles, which is roughly the equivalent of 45 minutes of run time. The E300 Razor Electric Scooter will retail for £269.95. Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ E300 Razor Electric Scooter copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

With so many devices to tote around these days, making sure they have enough juice to run on is essential wherever we go. Unfortunately, that means packing a plethora of chargers to go, which surely goes a long way in adding the amount of weight you have to tote around. The Zipcharge Quick Charger aims to help you out with that, where it comes in the form of a rechargeable power stick that takes a mere 15 minutes of charging to provide your iPod with another 20 hours of audio playback, while you get 10 more hours of talk time. Now, these are all theoretical figures, so you might want to take it with a pinch of salt. How about a 60 second charge that offers 2 hours of playback on your iPod? Armed with a bunch of adaptor tips for virtually any portable gadget out there, the Zipcharge Quick Charger is going for £49.99. Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Zipcharge Quick Charger copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Bashing current copyright law is easy—just ask Jessica Litman, a professor of law at the University of Michigan. She calls current US copyright a "swollen, barnacle-encrusted collection of incomprehensible prose." Or, to change the metaphor to aging, copyright law is "old, outmoded, inflexible, and beginning to display the symptoms of multiple systems failure."

Suggesting something new to replace it can be a harder job, and Litman turns her attention to that task in an unpublished new paper called "Real Copyright Reform" (PDF). Part of a spate of recent reform proposals (Public Knowledge is heading another high-profile effort, for example), Litman's quest to reform the 1976 Copyright Act is, as she acknowledges, quixotic.

"None of these proposals is likely to attract serious attention from Congress or copyright lobbyists," she writes. "Right now the copyright legislation playing field is completely controlled by its beneficiaries. They have persuaded Congress that it is pointless to try to enact copyright laws without their assent."

Read the comments on this post

Bashing current copyright law is easy—just ask Jessica Litman, a professor of law at the University of Michigan. She calls current US copyright a "swollen, barnacle-encrusted collection of incomprehensible prose." Or, to change the metaphor to aging, copyright law is "old, outmoded, inflexible, and beginning to display the symptoms of multiple systems failure."

Suggesting something new to replace it can be a harder job, and Litman turns her attention to that task in an unpublished new paper called "Real Copyright Reform" (PDF). Part of a spate of recent reform proposals (Public Knowledge is heading another high-profile effort, for example), Litman's quest to reform the 1976 Copyright Act is, as she acknowledges, quixotic.

"None of these proposals is likely to attract serious attention from Congress or copyright lobbyists," she writes. "Right now the copyright legislation playing field is completely controlled by its beneficiaries. They have persuaded Congress that it is pointless to try to enact copyright laws without their assent."

Read the comments on this post

There are times that eyes just absolutely ache.  In recent years it’s more likely that it’s due to staring at a computer for horribly long hours.  Be it because you’re a blogger, a student doing research or a student avoiding research by playing their latest favorite computer game.  After all of that, you might want some way to take the ache away from those tired eyes, which is where this gadget comes in.

In addition to those who spend too much time on the computer, it’ll help out those that get a lot of headaches and migraines.  Plus things like insomnia and just flat out tired eyes.  It will use the usual vibrating massage technique as well using air and heat treatments.  You can purchase it for $91 through Amazon.

Source: RedFerret Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Breo Breeze Eye Massager copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

A while back, we announced that we would be bringing new features to Hackaday. One in particular that garnished a lot of interest was our question answer type thingy. Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, that has not happened yet. Without divulging too much into the secret machinery that lies underneath Hackaday, I’ll just say that we(the writers) don’t necessarily have control over all aspects of the site. An example would be the copyright. Yes, we finally got it updated. Thanks for all of your emails. No, none of us had access to that part of the site, so don’t bother letting us know how simple that change should have been.

We are as eager as you to see some good ideas and good feedback flowing through this site, so we’re going to start a regular post, entitled “Ask Hackaday”. This isn’t entirely new, we’ve done it before actually. This is just to let you know that we intend to do it regularly, and to set some ground rules.  ”Ask Hackaday” will mostly center around you, our readers, and your ideas. We will publish a question, and possibly our thoughts, but the main content will be your responses. We have a huge collective of intelligent creative readers and it would be a shame not to tap into that pool of knowledge.  When you are offering an answer, be thorough, give details, and please be kind.

Send your questions to askHAD@hackaday.com for consideration. They will be chosen based on a complicated system of random number variation involving furry woodland creatures and how we feel at the moment that we read them. Do not get offended if you question does not get published. We get tons of questions already and we don’t intend to publish them all.

For those of you that really enjoy your football games or soccer as it’s called in my part of the world, now you can even surf the channels with your favorite sport in mind.  This small ball has all of the necessary buttons to make it possible to surf through your normal channels.  It’d be great for dedicated sports fans, but even better for a kid’s room.

It’ll work just fine with all different TV brands, just like any other universal remote that you’d pick up from your local electronics shop.  It’ll also work with your DVD player and even your satellite, although I imagine it doesn’t have nearly as many buttons as your satellite remote.  It also has a range of 7.6 meters.  As of now it’s actually out of stock, once it’s back it’ll cost you right around $20 through Thumbs Up UK.

Source: CraziestGadgets
Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Football TV Remote copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Rock and record fans alike should probably take a look at these new clocks.  Instead of just trashing old records, these have been updated and changed into clocks.  They’d be a great addition to any college dorm or a den.  What’s nice is that this doesn’t look like it was thrown together in someone’s garage within 15 minutes time.  Which is far too often the case with vintage items being turned into clocks.  It’s nice to see someone changing things up a bit.

These 45 records all feature different rock bands.  None of the clocks that are sold will be quite the same, since they have an assortment of records.  These clocks will require a AA battery to keep up and running and the clock itself measures 7” in diameter.  You can purchase the laser-cut clock for $30 through Urban Outfitters.
Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ 45 RPM Record Clock copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

After reading this article, I am left with the thought, "A pox on all of their houses!". Current copyright law not only fails in its basic function in maximizing the creation and distribution of new works, but it also happens to be disastrously constructed. With more and more creations now being considered 'derivative works', the law now prevents any clear certainty as to who owns what without going through a lengthy and expensive litigation process. When it comes to our tools of culture and speech, the one area of law that should be easily accessible to all should be IP laws. Sadly, that is not the case. It has become little more than a self-justified business to employ IP attorneys - the 21st Century's breed of ambulance chasers. Read the sorry tale here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/business/21marvel.html?pagewanted=1

Filed under: Business, Video, News, Web services

The YouTube vs. Viacom lawsuit has turned into quite the exciting drama this weekend, with both sides making accusations via their respective blogs. YouTube says Viacom constantly uploaded its own material from fake accounts, and then filed DMCA complaints about it. Viacom accuses YouTube of being a pirate organization that profits from copyright infringement.

Here are the key points each side has made so far, condensed for your convenience:

YouTube says ...

Viacom not only uploaded its own content to YouTube, but it hired 18 different marketing agencies to take on the task. Once the content was up, Viacom seemingly couldn't tell the difference between independent infringers and the people it hired. In many cases, Viacom even called YouTube and asked to have infringing content reinstated. There are also some juicy accusations that Viacom employees uploaded videos from Kinko's, so they'd be harder to trace.

YouTube also says that the current lawsuit is sour grapes on Viacom's part, after it tried and failed to buy YouTube years ago.

Viacom says ...

"YouTube was intentionally built on infringement and there are countless internal YouTube communications demonstrating that YouTube's founders and its employees intended to profit from that infringement."

According to Viacom, YouTube intentionally "steals" videos, because copyrighted content brings in tons of traffic and profit. Viacom accuses Google of holding its videos for ransom to coerce Viacom into licensing the videos to YouTube on the cheap.

The key point of Viacom's case is that YouTube was aware of "rampant" infringement, and had the means to stop it, but chose not to.

Who's right? That's for the courts to decide, but you can still debate it in the comments. Whose side are you on, Download Squad readers?

Share

Viacom vs. YouTube battle heats up on official blogs originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google - Viacom - YouTube - Digital Millennium Copyright Act - Copyright

Linux User and Developer: "In response to a petition, the Prime Minister has dropped Mandelson’s plans for a controversial ‘three strikes’ rule forcing ISPs to permanently disconnect those repeatedly accused of illegal file sharing by copyright holders."

• 
  HTC Desire could be your next superphone
• 
  Harman International rolls out new devices for the coming spring

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ Gadget Thumbnails for 20-Mar-2010 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

People love easter eggs. There are a number of humorous yet undocumented features hiding beneath the surface of some of the most popular open source software applications. We ran down five of our favorites.

For years, we've heard complaints about using the term "piracy" to describe the online copyright infringement—but most have come from Big Content's critics. Some of those concerned about online copyright infringement now realize that they may have created a monster by using the term "piracy."

Read the comments on this post

People love easter eggs. There are a number of humorous yet undocumented features hiding beneath the surface of some of the most popular open source software applications. We ran down five of our favorites.

For years, we've heard complaints about using the term "piracy" to describe the online copyright infringement—but most have come from Big Content's critics. Some of those concerned about online copyright infringement now realize that they may have created a monster by using the term "piracy."

Read the comments on this post

Unless you have been living under a rock all this while, you would have known about the Google Nexus One smartphone that is touted to be a “superphone” by Google, as it squares up against the almighty Apple iPhone which has a worldwide legion of rabid fans, ready to come to its defense any day. Well, the Google Nexus One also has a different moniker, where it is known as the HTC Desire – previously known as the Bravo. Guess all of the hardware specification will more or less remain the same as the Nexus One, as this model will retain more than a handful of quality features to keep you hooked to it. More on the HTC Desire will be explained right after the jump.

The handset itself will run on a rather well executed alliance between the Google Android operating system as well as the HTC Sense user interface which enables users to customize multiple home screens with web feeds and other content that one would find most relevant. Apart from that, you will always be in the loop since the HTC Desire allows you to receive a continuous stream of comments, photos and status updates on popular social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter. To contact one of your friends is a snap, since all possible avenues of communication will be offered, ranging from email to SMS, Facebook and calling. With a virtually endless amount of downloadable apps from the Android Market as well as Google services such as Google Maps, Google Search and Gmail, the HTC Desire sounds like a truly complete handset for any smartphone user.

Hardware-wise, you get a 3.7″ AMOLED touchscreen display with multi-touch capability, offering an above average web browsing and multimedia experience. HTC has also thrown in an accelerometer that makes it a snap to rotate the angle of the display, while a proximity sensor will set the display to standby mode whenever you are entertaining a call, so that there won’t be any accidental selections of options. A 5.0-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash lets you snap quality photos in a jiffy, but don’t expect it to hold up as well as a regular consumer class digital camera. It really depends on which carrier do you want to get tied down to in the UK with the HTC Desire, but most of them often throw in a free gift to make the deal all the more enticing.

Press Release
Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ HTC Desire could be your next superphone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Harman International is back with a new range of products across a trio of divisions this spring – we’re talking about home entertainment, mobile/in-car and multimedia. For those of you who do plenty of movie watching at home, Harman has just the tonic with spanking new 5.1 home entertainment solutions, where they include the Harman Kardon HKTS 20 and HKTS 30. Both models will feature exceptional audio performance and classy design complete with a 200W powered, 200mm subwoofer and two-way loudspeakers, virtually making them a firm favorite with action movie fans. Apart from that, this home theater system will also merge a dual-driver center-channel speaker for distinct movie dialogue, a quartet of compact satellites to pull every viewer into the exploding action and a powerful subwoofer for heart-stopping bass. They do bear the signature Harman Kardon form factor as well as functionality to maintain its brand image.

Of course, this pristine audio experience is not limited to the home only, as it will also appear in-car as well courtesy of the JBL MS-8. Touted to be a highly anticipated, game-changing product for the mobile category, the MS-8 will feature a one-of-a-kind system integration digital processor which supposedly optimizes any vehicle’s performance in just a mere 10 minutes. All you need to do is go through the relatively idiot-proof step-by-step procedure in order for the MS-8 to maximize frequency response, bass performance, dynamics, clarity, detail and stereo imaging, regardless of the combination of factory-installed or aftermarket components that your vehicle sports.

When it comes to classic multimedia, Harman revives the old by offering new, improved versions of time-honored favorites such as the brand-new Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro, the JBL On Time 200P, the JBL On Time Micro and the JBL On Stage Micro II. These devices will offer an even greater versatility and iPod and/or iPhone compatibility, all without compromising on the similar world-class audio quality which is synonymous with the Harman brand name.

Press Release
Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Harman International rolls out new devices for the coming spring copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Despite protest from the public, the UK Government continues to push forward with the adoption of the Digital Economy Bill (DEB), legislation that will supposedly protect copyright holders from online pirates.

This week the House of Lords approved the Bill and handed it over to the House of Commons who will deal with the most controversial elements – disconnections and site-blocking – without proper scrutiny during the so-called “wash-up” period.

This and other controversies have absolutely enraged those who oppose the Bill and has led more than 10,000 voters in the last few days to write to their MPs to demand a full debate.

Last night, musician Billy Bragg, TalkTalk’s Andrew Heaney, Jim Killock from the Open Rights Group and Anthony Barnett from openDemocracy were joined by human rights activist Peter Tatchell, politicians from three political parties and numerous others to add their voices to the growing chorus of objection.

In an open letter they are demanding that the disconnections/throttling (aka technical measures) and site-blocking clauses are either properly debated or taken out of the Bill and “subjected to genuine democratic scrutiny in a new parliament.”

They emphasize that not only does the Bill threaten to breach human rights, suppress free speech and hamper legitimate activities on the web, but also poses a threat to the economy.

“Democracy and accountability will be sidestepped if this bill is rushed through and amended without debate during the so-called ‘wash-up’ process,” notes the letter, adding: “The thousands of people we know to be contacting their MPs with concerns will find their faith in politicians even further undermined.”

Indeed, the way this Bill has been handled from start to finish has proven deeply worrying but even if the Government ignores all dissent and presses ahead with its implementation, along with the suspensions, disconnections, site-blocking and all, one thing remains absolutely certain.

The main aim of propping up the “creative industries” (read: the BPI and its members) with this legislation will fail. People will not be heading back to music stores in their millions, they will feel bullied, intimidated and absolutely dedicated to finding new ways to carry on regardless, just as they are in France.

And there will be half a dozen ways to do just that and rest assured there will soon be plenty more – because people will create them. Welcome to the arms race.

Article from: TorrentFreak, check out our new blog at FreakBits.

L'ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement/Accord Commercial Anti-Contrefaçon) est un accord international en cours de négociation depuis 2008 dans l'obscurité la plus totale et qui pourrait avoir des conséquences dramatiques. Des alliances larges se constituent contre ACTA.

Ainsi cette semaine Act Up, April et La Quadrature du Net ont diffusé deux communiqués de presse commun. Le premier, diffusé le 18 mars 2010, demandant au gouvernement français la position de la France et une publication des documents en cours de négociation. Ce communiqué a été diffusé juste avant la « réunion d'information » organisée par la DGTPE (direction générale du trésor et de la politique économique) à laquelle les organisations étaient invitées (ainsi que d'autres comme Oxfam France notamment).

On pourrait peut-être s'étonner d'un tel communiqué commun entre organisations aux problématiques assez diverses. Mais justement, ACTA touche à la fois à la question des médicaments, à la responsabilités des intermédiaires techniques de l'internet, aux DRM, au droit d'auteur... Ce n'est pas la première fois que l'April discute avec Act Up, ainsi dans le passé nous avons échangé sur la problématique des brevets (sur les logiciels et médicaments). Par exemple, on peut relire le communiqué de presse de l'April de 2001 «100 000 séropositifs brésiliens menacés de mort par les brevets».

Je crois que ces organisations partagent une vision commune dans laquelle l'accès à la connaissance, les libertés fondamentales et tout simplement la vie humaine doivent primer face à certains enjeux commerciaux.

La « réunion d'information » à la DGTPE ayant été un peu du foutage de gueule les organisateurs ont diffusé un nouveau communiqué de presse à la sortie de la réunion dans lequel elles expliquent que les responsables du dossier ACTA en France ont renforcé leurs inquiétudes.

Deux articles de presse suite à la réunion :

• «Le silence de la France ravive les inquiétudes autour d'ACTA» (PC INpact) :

Dénonçant « une vision unilatérale, orientée copyright et brevet » Alix Cazenave a constaté que de bonnes intentions, mais des paroles suivies d’aucune garantie : « personne ne veut empêcher l’accès aux médicaments, porter atteinte au logiciel libre, mais dans les faits sont incapables d’apporter les garanties de nature à nous rassurer. » Et Jeremie Zimmermann de souligner « C’est pour cela qu’on a demandé les lignes de négociations infranchissables sur lesquelles la France allait se baser sur les discussions. »

Autre surprise, le nom de Marie François Marais fut cité hier par les représentants de DGTPE comme faisant partie des magistrats experts de la France sur le volet sanction d’ACTA (un sujet entrant dans le ressort des États membres).

Cette magistrate de la Cour de cassation est effectivement une « experte » : actuellement présidente de la HADOPI, elle fut également en charge de l’arrêt Mulholland Drive de la haute juridiction, qui interdit depuis la copie privée en matière de DVD. Ou de l'arrêt Tiscali, qui a estimé qu'un FAI qui héberge des données sur une partie de son site, tout en y affichant de la publicité automatiquement, doit être reconnu comme éditeur et responsable du contenu.

• «ACTA : le gouvernement français reste muet, l’Europe se rebelle» (Écrans) :

Joint par téléphone ce matin, Frédéric Couchet, délégué général de l’April, ne cache pas déception. « On a vraiment eu l’impression d’être pris pour des charlots, des bizuts incapables de lire des textes de loi. Alors qu’au contraire, on ne demande qu’à pouvoir contribuer au débat ». Or, sans grande surprise, la demande légitime de pouvoir accéder au texte de l’ACTA n’a pour l’instant pas été acceptée, d’où l’impression assez ubuesque d’un serpent qui se mord la queue : aux critiques des associations sur le potentiel contenu de l’Accord, leurs interlocuteurs de la DGTPE ont continuellement botté en touche en signalant que les inquiétudes sont basées sur des fuites de documents de travail, potentiellement obsolètes voire faux. D’où l’impossibilité d’avoir une discussion constructive alors que les prochaines négociations de l’ACTA se dérouleront en avril, en Nouvelle Zélande.

Pour en savoir plus :

• Le dossier ACTA sur le site de La Quadrature du Net

• Le dossier ACTA sur le site de l'April

• Page Wikipédia en anglais