Tuesday, November 13, 2007

YouTube YouSure?

Not sure how I weigh in on the whole concept of having things put up on the web, and no one getting any royalties for creative property/copyright, etc. But yesterday, after visiting Jenn of Holland’s site, and being introduced to Kristen Chenoweth, well, I had to head over to YouTube.com to find out what else I could about this talented and funny lady.

Of course, once at the site, I found out I DID know her, just didn’t know that was her name in “real life”. But once at YouTube, well, I couldn’t help but do a search and see what else I could find on her. And voila! A host of performances starring Ms Chenoweth. And then that site had other “choices” listed on the side bar--easily clicked on and viewed--which led to other clickable delectable sites, . . . And by sometime in the wee hours of the morning, I’d managed to put in a full evening of GREAT musical numbers from a number of wonderful Broadway hits by talented, gifted performers.

It was magical, it was marvelous, it was exhilarating, it was FREE! So why was it I felt like a voyeur? Why did I have that feeling that I had snuck in through the side door, and hadn’t paid for my ticket?

Probably something about my son, who watches many things he cannot find any other place but YouTube, who keeps saying he wonders what day the whole thing will be shut down by the courts! He also likes to say he wonders if they’ll come and drag all of us users away . . . Yes, that might have something to do with that feeling of “unclean”.

SO, what do YOU think? Weigh in on this. Your vote counts (well, it counts with me). To view or NOT to view, via YouTube and other “free” sites, these often “pirated” performances (I watched one that had actually taped the announcement saying to turn off all electronic recording devices as it was illegal to tape without authorization LOL)?

YouVote, YouTube or NoTube--THAT IS THE QUESTION!

5 comments:

Sai Hijara - Ferraris said...

Well, I do visit YouTube once in awhile...and I don't feel guilty a bit...lol I value IPR so much especially with my type of job, and honestly, the issue whether YouTube violates that i something rather academis in nature...

The people who shares those materials own the rights, they are sharing it for free for people who shares their likes...they are reproducing it...and I just go there to view it and not grab it in any way...so it's fine. I think. :D

Jan said...

You Tube huh? I've never been there. another place I'll have to check out. I guess i wouldn't feel guilty.... lol

Jan

Madam Crunchypants said...

I like YouTube. When my husband, Punkin and I were living away from our hometown, it was the vehicle that we used to share all of Punkin's milestones (rolling over, pooping in the bathtub).

People that are using YouTube for piracy are pretty small potatoes, really - there are more places out there that you can get better quality pirated movies/tv shows/broadway plays, if you really want to be sneaky. What ends up on YouTube is fairly low quality, and not something that I think the police are going to go after.

Now if you'll excuse me, someone is banging on my door and yelling about a raid.... ;)

Jenn in Holland said...

Recently the site TV-LINKS was shut down by the courts and it's designers charged. It was big news at this house, because we spent a lot of time on the site watching television shows we don't or can't get. I think your question is a good one but one without a clear answer in my mind. We do spend a lot of time with the Youtube on, or Joox, or alluc, since these are the places we can get our fix for American television without commercial breaks and/or dubbing or subtitles.
I think I do feel a bit guilty or at least quite self aware that something is not quite right with it all. But, and this is a big but, it surely doesn't stop me from joining in and watching it. Even when CLEARLY it is pirated (as in videotaped from the back of the movie theater and uploaded to the web long before the dvd release)

Jenn in Holland said...
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