YouTube loses its funny

The party's over.

Head on over to YouTube today, and try and click on any number of Comedy Central-related clips -- of which there are hundreds, including "South Park," "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" -- and you will see the message linked above.

Based on blog reports (including one at the revered Boing Boing), YouTube has begun mailing members with cease and desist style notices, citing copyright infringement, and isn't waiting for members to take down the videos themselves; they're just stripping them clean.

This can't come as much of a surprise; once Google made the site a $1.65 billion business, it opened up some deep pockets that make it ripe for litigation. And like a snowball gathering speed, momentum and volume in the past weeks, YouTube is going to be Just Like Everywhere Else now.

What it is, however, is classic big business hubris that will lessen not just public opinion of Comedy Central, but of YouTube. One of the primary reasons YouTube was worth $1.65 billion is that fans knew they could host and view the clips they wanted to see, when they wanted to see them, there. YouTube turned a blind eye to copyright infringement; Comedy Central turned the same blind eye. Both profited and benefited from this "I can't hear you, la la la" mentality -- they earned publicity, goodwill among users (many of whom are likely already viewers or Apple subscribers), and viewers got what they wanted.

And if Comedy Central thinks they're already giving viewers what they want on their own site, they're in for a rude awakening. One blogger has listed the reasons YouTube is superior to Comedy Central's viewer, noting:

You have tiny little videos that can’t be resized. It’s like watching TV from the next room through the keyhole of a closed door.

He's also got a thought or two on the whole CC Web site:

Flashing banner ads? Is that some kind of a Comedy Central joke that’s over my head? There’s this company called Google that showed everybody that annoying your customers isn’t necessary to get them to click on things. Instead, their idea is to give people what they want. You might also want to check out their website for some layout ideas.

So, here we are, copyright flags waved, videos removed, and nobody's happy. YouTube is on its way to being the Friendster of the year. What no one who tries to harness the Internet seems to yet understand is that it expands, contracts and spreads organically. Put a leash on it, and those who made it so popular in the first place run off to another spot that doesn't require such restrictions. As we've reported here recently, there'll no doubt be some kind of pirate site up within hours -- if there isn't already -- which will host not just clips of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" (we know there are already tons of sites for "South Park" episodes) but whole episodes. For a time, YouTube had that beast under control, and now -- it's over.

YouTube is dead. Long live the next YouTube.

-- Randee Dawn

UPDATE (10/31): A random search for "South Park," "Daily Show" and "Colbert Report" turns up clips still present and accounted for on YouTube -- and playing just fine. Perhaps there's been a little corporate re-thinking here.

Comments

[Theodora]

LOL...

With the amount of money Google was throwing at those two renegade 'geniuses' --did you *really* think the Infringement Police wouldn't be beating down YouTube's door????

The copyright infringement sitch was always present --mega-dawgs just knew there was no way they could get blood from a turnip before without incurring some hefty legal fees on their side of the ledger...

Then again, look at the network nitwick opportunists' foot in mouth race, taking up space on MySpace in the height of all the PervPredator melee... MediaWhores seized the opportunity to boost their demographics by commandeering teenagers' attention deficits by setting up whoredens there...

Should we cry for YouTube's dwindling 'content' now???

Notta chance...

Those two renegade geniuses should run to the bank and make sure the bill' and a half check is actually good...

As for Google???

I'm still kickin' myself for not buying in when it was "junk stock"..................

[Sanjeev]

Searches done on YouTube for Daily Show, South Park and Comedy Central still exists.

[brandon]

Yet Google Video has 100+ pirated skateboard and bmx videos? that makes a lot of sense