3. YouTube and the Power of Copyright Law

          Sitting in my i-Comm class, the last thing I suspected was to be shown the flash mob/ lip dub video from last year. In fact I started wondering why we were watching it. Then our professor told us that the university was in trouble from three record companies because the YouTube video violated copyright laws. Oops.

         When watching a YouTube video, it can be difficult to find a video that does not violate copyright law in some form. One of the most amusing would be the awful virus of the Rickroll. Some apologetically explain that the content of their video is not theirs but rather such and such company.

          What brings companies down on certain issues and not others? Popularity would be the best answer. Catching everything online would be crazy, so they have to show force through specific cases. YouTube touches a huge amount of viewers.