Dilemma: Protect Rights or Get Free Buzz

The battle continues. Entertainment companies continue to let their lawyers do the talking, as they fight copyright infringements by consumer-generated sites.

Viacom goes after YouTube for $1 billion. I’m waiting for the countersuit, asking Viacom for compensation for the massive free advertising for its “products.”

It will be interesting to see how Paramount fares with its sharing-friendly clips released for use by the public. Instead of freezing out fans, they’re offering a controlled version of the wide-open sharing and commenting that is taking place online.

At risk for the entertainment companies is their stranglehold on the global zeitgeist. Artists are experimenting with direct-to-customer sales. Nine Inch Nails brought in $1.6 million in its first week of direct online sales, a figure that dwarfs the share they would have received from a record company.

Reminds me of the battle between repression and open democracy that has gripped the world since the 1930s. Political freedom has sort of won, but the battle’s not over.

We’ll see how long the command and control mindset of the entertainment companies lasts.

Links via TechDirt.