Caught this from Macworld UK:

In a move that could have far-reaching repurcussions for the film and TV industries, MTV and MySpace have teamed up to insert ads in pirated videos.

The two companies are working with Auditude, a start-up firm that has developed technology that can identify any video which has been uploaded to the MySpace by someone other than the copyright owner, and allow the content owner to insert ads in the video, the companies said.


Well, ignoring whether this Auditude jive works for now, I can't say this is a horrible development. If it ain't yours, why are you sharing it? If the company that does own the work wants to coattail your work with some adverts, well, have at it.

YouTube, like the iPod, benefits from and counts on benefiting from pirated works. Wonder how happy the owners will be to have Steamboat Willie clips pointing to Cinderella III ads.

Hrm, and there's a point for me to be upset, I guess. If every clip uploaded, including those that really have no more commercial value without this hobbyist interest and contribution, now arguably have more because of YouTube, we're just helping Disney argue for endless copyright.

More and more I think I'm going to have to argue more forcefully that we can't keep chasing the law. We have to discover informed ways to inhabit, prank, and manipulate it.