901am

New Media News Every Morning

YouTube Knocks Out Viacom

By

Today is a good day for Google. Not only are Android phones selling faster than expected, but it looks like the courts have dismissed Viacom’s lawsuit against YouTube.

Today, the court granted our motion for summary judgment in Viacom’s lawsuit with YouTube. This means that the court has decided that YouTube is protected by the safe harbor of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) against claims of copyright infringement. We’re extremely gratified by this decision and the now established judicial consensus that online services like YouTube are immune from liability when they work cooperatively with copyright holders to help them protect their rights online. (Official YouTube Blog) [Read more…]

Originally posted on June 23, 2010 @ 4:52 pm

It’s Official: Microsoft Is Burger King, Apple Is McDonalds

By

With hordes of fans flocking to the nearest Apple store to pick up their shiny new iPhone 4’s (provided that you didn’t pre-order yours of course), it looks like Microsoft has opened a store right next to their biggest rival.

Today is the grand opening of the Microsoft Store in Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego, California. The San Diego store marks Microsoft’s fourth foray into the retail space and opens later this morning at 10 a.m. PST.

The Microsoft Store is just yards away from the Apple Store, which means it’s competing for attention with the massively long line of people hoping to get their hands on the new iPhone 4. (Mashable)

While the tactic may seem cheesy (pun not intended), building a store next to your rival is actually a strategy perfected by Burger King, who is (in)famous for building stores next to every McDonalds within sight (at least in the US). [Read more…]

Originally posted on June 24, 2010 @ 6:38 pm

Google Makes TV Relevant Again

By

Google, known for taming the digital universe and organizing the chaos known as the “interwebs,” may soon bring their expertise to make your television relevant again.

Google TV is a new experience made for television that combines the TV you know and love with the freedom and power of the Internet. Watch an overview video below, sign up for updates, and learn more about how to develop for Google TV. (Google TV)

The search engine giant has thus far partnered with Sony, Logitech and Intel in order to help make this dream a reality.

While the marriage between PC and TV is nothing new (after all Hulu and TiVO are “in a way” doing this right now), Google’s upcoming entrance into the market could force competition to either innovate or become extinct. [Read more…]

Originally posted on June 15, 2010 @ 6:02 pm