The battle of how much handle an online video viewer should have over content is a struggle worthy of the words; a battle uphill in the snow. Recently Google has launched a counter-strike against a Video-to-MP3 converter website called Youtube-mp3.org.
Google attacked with the “Violated-Terms-of-Service” card. A very interesting move coming from a website that has been structured on taking content and adding it there own search-index regardless of permission. Hypocrisy aside, I can only wonder what Google hopes to do by shutting down one of the countless websites that provides this minimal service. Frankly these websites sprout like heads on a hydra, if Google really wants proper advice on destroying video conversion; “They musn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling”…
Perhaps if Google had Tom Hardy they might be able to strangulate this concept, but would it really solve anything? YouTube is a hotbed for copyright infringement; nearly all the videos shot lack the proper legal requirements to be put online. They don’t investigate if people have the proper credentials to be filming in various places or even if people have agreed to be in the video. I’m not complaining, in fact I like my internet with a side of belligerent anarchy as much as the next depraved lunatic.
The methods for taking a YouTube video are practically endless. Even if they removed every website like it, I still have 100% legal video screen capture software that I could use to pluck any video of my choosing. This argument is like watching someone try to block off a river by only using their big toe. The film and music industry tried this same garbage and all they got in the end was a legion of angry customers and a couple DOS attacks from Anonymous. Recent history has told us it serves a company better to accept the fact that there are no more boxes around content, I don’t see Netflix and Pandora whining. Shutting down a website is like watching someone throw a tray of muffins across the room because they didn’t get the first one. Google has brilliant idealists and programmers; surely there is a smarter method for attacking this issue. Though I’m sure it’s the work of a few well-shrouded suits tugging at Google’s sleeves, still crying over the change of VHS to DVD and at it yet again with another attempt at avenging their dead business plans.
Attempts at trying to fight the progression of media are old fashioned thinking and serve no place in holding back a society that is constantly surfacing new ideas.
