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Too Much Free Time

by Mike Masnick

Thu, Jun 12th 2008 7:45am




Filed Under:
takedown, tropic thunder, viral video

Companies:
google, viacom, youtube


Viacom Demands YouTube Take Down Viral Video Made By Viacom

from the read-that-again dept

We know that Viacom really dislikes YouTube, but it seems to have taken that hatred a bit beyond reasonable (assuming you don't already consider its $1 billion lawsuit unreasonable). For the MTV Movie Awards (MTV being a Viacom property), Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. made a "spoof" viral video to try to get attention for their upcoming comedy movie, Tropic Thunder. The clip was well done, and clearly recognized all the key ingredients to make a viral video a winner. So what happens with a viral video? Well, it gets sent around and, most likely, gets placed on YouTube.

So, what does Viacom do? Well, thanks to reader Cannen for pointing out the news that Viacom sent a takedown notice to YouTube. MIT's YouTomb project is tracking the takedown. It makes you wonder if Viacom is so blinded by its hatred of YouTube that it missed the point of a viral video being that it be allowed to be... you know... viral.

14 Comments | Leave a Comment

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  1.  
    identicon
    Uday Shankar, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 8:08am

    More Viral...

    Could that have been the point? Now that Viacom has sent a takedown notice, more people have found the video. Perhaps they used the Streisand effect as a method of advertising. I certainly didn't know about this video until you mentioned it.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    bshock, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 8:14am

    Give Viacom what it thinks it wants

    Take down that viral video now. Take down any video on YouTube that might have anything at all to do with Viacom.

    Scower the web. Remove any and all content involving Viacom.

    In fact, stop writing about Viacom on this blog or any other.

    Viacom deserves to be forgotten.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    Fushta, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 8:25am

    Dogs Tail

    I didn't know about this video either since I haven't watched MTV in over a decade.

    This story is like the dog who bites its own tail. It's too brainless to know that it's hurting itself.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    brundlefly76, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 9:11am

    It was not a viral video

    This was not a viral video - it was a segment produced for the MTV Movie Awards which happened to spoof the making of a corporate viral video as its subject.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Gunnar, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 9:41am

    It's a viral video. You don't make viral videos, they become viral when they're spread around from person to person, like this was.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 10:03am

    Re: More Viral...

    It's just more evidence that bad things happen when lawyers make business decisions.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    identicon
    TheDock22, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 10:06am

    YouTomb

    Actually I read the stats from the YouTomb project and was surprised the RIAA has only request one take down. I guess they are more focused on audio files than music videos.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  8.  
    identicon
    bob, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 11:00am

    If it wasn't viral before, it's certianly viral now.
    It's also damn funny in an "ow my balls" kind of way.

    You can find it here.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  9.  
    identicon
    Jason, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 11:21am

    Epitomizes

    ...savoir fail.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  10.  
    identicon
    EFF Viacom, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 12:07pm

    Re: Give Viacom what it thinks it wants

    Oh yeah, I second that one. Eff'm ever since "Rock the Vote"

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  11.  
    identicon
    Michael Setzer, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 1:11pm

    Irony

    Ironically one of the companies involved in the production of "Tropic Thunder" is Dreamworks SKG, which as everyone knows, was bought out a few years ago by Viacom/Paramound Pictures.;-D

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  12.  
    identicon
    Michael Setzer, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 1:11pm

    Irony

    Ironically one of the companies involved in the production of "Tropic Thunder" is Dreamworks SKG, which as everyone knows, was bought out a few years ago by Viacom/Paramound Pictures. If Viacom were smart, they'd turn this into an opportunity to market the movie.;-D

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  13.  
    identicon
    Josh, Jun 12th, 2008 @ 1:24pm

    It's for the lawsuit

    It's hard to successfully sue a company for damages while continuing to use their services. Until the lawsuit is settled expect any viacom related media to be removed from YouTube.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  14.  
    identicon
    Brandon, Jun 13th, 2008 @ 8:40am

    Re:

    You might have found the real reason Viacom wants it down off of YouTube. To force you to go to MTV's website in order to view it, thus making Viacom ad money.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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