MediaPost reports that Universal Music has sued MySpace for (amongst other things) not adequately policing users from posting Universal-owned clips.
Put more legally: Universal alleges that MySpace enables copyright infringement by making available tools that allow users to upload and view videos as well as to distribute them by sending links to friends.
'er, that's called the social web, Einsteins.
Look, there's no doubt that copywrited material makes up a solid chunk of the YouTube and MySpace (as the poster children for the - cringe - Web 2.0 darlings) bank of content...but suing isn't the solution.
Universal might as well sue the members of the MySpace community (and don't think THAT isn't coming) for simply sharing i.e. sending links to friends. After all, it is that act alone that leads to the so-called "rampant infringement" that Universal is suing over.
Bottom line...look at what happened with Podcasting and the Podsafe Music Network. Great content can and does come from anyone and anywhere. In fact, it is the discovery of the next U2 and Fergie through the band next door that arguably is proving to be just as appealing (or at least is becoming more and more that way)
Secondly, it's less about the type of content and more about the community and the act of sharing itself that is the real secret sauce.
Universal Music...like Hollywood...like the Broadcast networks...should be grateful and humbled that consumers are choosing to help co-promote, pay tribute to and display their content. It is this act that conceivably could lead to driving tune-in, ticket sales or paid downloads.
In other words, the establishment needs to figure out ways to work with the community; not continuously against it. MySpace, YouTube and the like are after all, just hollow shells (and rich ones I might add, which explains the real intent behind the lawsuit) that house the passion and dynamism.
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