A Hamburg court decision has ruled that YouTube is responsible for what its users upload to the site. This therefore could make the site liable for any copyright infringement associated with that. Furthermore, the court has asked the video sharing giant to put filters in place that detect clips that are protected by the German royalties agency Gema at the point of upload. Worst of all, this could saddle the website with a hefty tab. Although this particular case only pertains to 12 videos (and the ruling to seven of those,) future fines could be as much as €250,000 ($330,000) per case. YouTube maintained that it has no responsibility over what users upload, but that it did take action when notified about protected content.

[Thanks, Guy]

YouTube ordered to filter video uploads by German court, could face hefty fines originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge, BBC  |  DW Akademie  | Email this | Comments

Need something to fill in the awkward silence between your vlog's unscripted stuttering? YouTube's got your back. In yet another attempt to make your crummy videos just a little better, the streaming outfit has revamped its audio editing suite, giving users access to over 150,000 tracks and a simple sound mixer, to boot. Sure, YouTube's tracks may not be as catchy as your favorite Flaming Lips single, but at least you won't have to worry about copyright infringement. Check out YouTube's quick demo of the feature after the break.

Continue reading YouTube wants more videos to have background music, adds audio editor

YouTube wants more videos to have background music, adds audio editor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

With Robocop currently in rotation on both Netflix and HBO Go, you're probably wondering, "where else can I get my daily dose of media and cultural criticism delivered by a trigger happy law enforcement cyborg?" Well, YouTube and Google Play apparently. MGM has struck a deal with the folks in Mountain View to bring 600 of its titles to the streaming services, including the aforementioned dystopian-Detroit sci-fi classic. Of course, plenty of other top shelf titles will also be available to rent and purchase in the coming weeks -- including Terminator, Rocky and Rain Man. Unfortunately for those not in the northern portion of the western hemisphere the deal is only applicable to the US and Canada. This also means that, regardless of whatever struggles Google has had in the content distribution market, it now has four of the five major studios on board. Though, we wouldn't hold your breath for Fox.

MGM delivers 600 movies to YouTube and Google Play, gives you one more place to watch Robocop originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  YouTube  | Email this | Comments

The Flaming Lips have never done anything small, from the "Parking Lot Experiments" of the mid-90s to this year's Record Store Day album, "The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends." Set for an April 21st release, the limited edition vinyl record features an odd cast of characters, including Bon Iver, Erykah Badu, Neon Indian, Nick Cave and Ke$ha, many of whom have lent their actual blood to the record.

"That is totally a gimmick," Wayne Coyne answers with great relish. "It's a beautiful gimmick. I think all things that we marvel over are based in gimmicks."

He's on the phone for a day of back-to-back interviews, a trapping of the job that would cause lesser, more jaded men to roll their eyes and submit with dragged heels, particularly those who've been playing the game through 30 years and 13 LPs. But Coyne, much to his credit, dives into everything he does headfirst with the manner of childlike wonder that's come to be established with the vast majority of the Flaming Lips' catalog.

At the beginning of our conversation, he lets it be known that he's slightly distracted. His wife is photographing him. And he's in his underwear. He didn't bother putting anything else on, knowing that he'd be running a marathon of phone interviews all day. Maximum comfort is important. It's a hard image to erase from my mind as Coyne settles in to explain the band's decision to embrace Siri on a recent web-only track called "Now I Understand."

Continue reading The art of the gimmick: an interview with the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne

The art of the gimmick: an interview with the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Google brings better YouTube integration to Orkut, hopes you haven't forgotten originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  Orkut Blog  | Email this | Comments

Google brings better YouTube integration to Orkut, hopes you haven't forgotten originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  Orkut Blog  | Email this | Comments

It's been about a year since YouTube took the beta tag off of its live video streams and to celebrate it's flipping the switch on a few new features. One major way to pull in better content is to allow its publishers to profit from it, and now they can either by charging viewers pay-per-view-style or through instream ads. On the backend they have improvements like a guided flow to follow before events go live and real time data breaking down their viewership by geography and format. Finally, Google is also provided Wirecast for YouTube Live free of charge, a bit of software that it says allows partners to do all the production (capture, switching between sources, live effects and overlays and more) necessary for "professional looking" live events. There's more information available after the break, but as long as this means we never have to see another jump cut vlog then we're all for it.

YouTube gives live video streamers better production tools, ways to make money originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  YouTube Creators Blog  | Email this | Comments

Better late than never, right? D-Link has finally decided to join the likes of Roku and Apple at the media streaming party with its new MovieNite device. It offers 1080p video content from Vudu, Netflix and YouTube, plus music streaming from Pandora and access to Picasa as well. Connectivity comes courtesy of 802.11n WiFi and a 10/100 Ethernet port, and plugs into your TV via HDMI 1.4 or composite video connections. You can control the thing with the included remote or via your handset with the free MovieNite remote app for Android or iOS. At 4.8 x 4.6 x 1.1 inches in size, it's a bit bigger than the offerings from Apple and Roku, but its $59.99 list price provides a cheaper avenue to 1080p content than either. It's available now exclusively at Walmart, and is currently a bargain at $48 online, though your in-store mileage may vary. PR's after the break.

Continue reading D-Link releases budget-priced MovieNite streaming media player

D-Link releases budget-priced MovieNite streaming media player originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  D-Link, Walmart  | Email this | Comments

YouTube lets you watch 1080p 2D videos in '3D' with your anaglyph specs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  The Official YouTube Blog  | Email this | Comments

It's been almost two years since YouTube's triumph in its copyright infringement case against Viacom. As is the way of things, Viacom appealed the decision, and now the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to breathe new life into Viacom's case. Apparently, the appeals judge didn't see eye to eye with the District Court's ruling that no reasonable jury could have found that YouTube had actual knowledge or awareness of infringement on its site.

You see, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) requires such awareness for service providers like YouTube to be guilty of copyright infringement, and that safe harbor provision was the grounds for YouTube's victory on summary judgment. Furthermore, to succeed on summary judgment, YouTube had to prove that no reasonable jury could find that it knew of any infringing activity. While the lower court felt that YouTube carried that burden, the appeals judge disagreed, and has remanded the case back down for the District Court to determine if YouTube knew about or willfully ignored the infringement. What does this mean? All we can say for sure is that it'll expend more judicial resources and make more money for the attorneys involved. The result could very well end up, once again, in YouTube's favor, but we'll have to wait and see.

Viacom wins appeal against YouTube, gets another chance to prove copyright infringement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments