YouTube

History:

Briefly read over the history of YouTube: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_YouTube

Litigation & Impact:

Please read over the court cases discussed from this Penn State website (It is a little outdated but has good information): 

http://faculty.ist.psu.edu/bagby/432Fall07/T4/index.htm

Watch this "explanation" of the Viacom v YouTube court case (Pardon some of the YouTube humor). 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usaOKXVErqc 

Commentary:

The Viacom v YouTube case is one of the most important DMCA related cases in United States history. Copyright infringement and intellectual property theft has become easier as technology progresses faster than law makers. The Penn State website discusses the facts of this case well (along with the link to updated info) and the impact it has on future litigation. The precedence set here will most likely be cited in future cases and that was the major reason to follow this case. 

Fun: (Optional)

Top 10 partners of YouTube and an estimate of how much they make annually:

http://www.socialtimes.com/2010/08/money-youtube-partners/

One man's interpretation of youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0quDfpfRUQ

Discussion Question:

What is your opinion of the Viacom International, Inc. v YouTube, Inc. court case?