steve kwan user experience designer

And as I expected...

(January 23rd, 2007 - 5:12PM)

NBC has had "The First Person in the History of the World to Dance" removed from YouTube.

In typical mega-corporate fashion, NBC has made a stupid business decision in a desperate attempt to defend their copyrights. Now that this potentially viral video has been removed from YouTube, there is (to the best of my knowledge) nowhere on the Internet where you can watch it, and that includes NBC's own site.

By attempting to stranglehold the distribution of their content, NBC has hindered a potentially powerful marketing tool. Videos like "The First Person in the History of the World to Dance" can create viral marketing campaigns, and they have no additional cost for NBC or other content providers. So other than outdating copyright laws, desire for power, and sheer business stupidity, I can't think of any reason why big business insists on stifling YouTube.