Google has been put under immense pressure with the recent legal assaults brought upon Youtube for copyright infringement. But copyright is a complex issue that is very likely going to be reviewed over the next few years as publishers learn how to navigate the new terrain. When infringement happened in the past, (DVD / VHS) rip offs would compete with the originals and clearly rights holders lost out. However this has changed somewhat in recent times with the advent of online distribution where in many cases online rip offs are actually helping offline DVD sales.

To get a handle on this, I contacted Chris Everard of Enigma Tv the director of a controversial conspiracy documentary film 'Secret Space', who was once a very outspoken critique of online rip offs but who in recent times has somewhat changed his mind after seeing offline DVD sales actually increase as a result of being ripped off online by Google Video.

When I contacted him for comment he said that the tradeoff was a fair one, as the increased traffic from free online distribution by Google brought with it greater exposure which converts into 'more' paying customers for the DVD.

But what about when a publisher is not happy with having their content distributed on Google Video or Youtube free, sure Google will remove the content on receipt of a legal threat, but when they remove the content they make no apology and simply leave the offending page blank.

Is this enough?

Should Google and Youtube be forced instead to add a link to the contents official home (where legal copies can be purchased) and thereby referring potential customers back to the aggrieved party?

What is most interesting from all this however is that new business models are emerging that suggest that giving away content free can actually bring higher gains through sponsors / advertising and also increase DVD sales, which is in direct contrast to early predictions by rights holders who have long since feared the onset of online rip offs.

Magnum Photos have gone to extraordinary lenghts to develop a rich online media experience for their users and what they have achieved is an example of first rate design coupled with top quality content and all delivered with graceful style.

The flashy web design outfit Group 94 based in Belgium are responsible for creating the Flash slide player that delivers the Magnum content. This was an ambitious project from the start, building a content management system that could deliver video, pictures, and audio over a timeline. IMO this method of delivering content has become probably one of the most interesting uses of Flash to-date.

The Magnum Essay series led by Bjarke Myrthu (Executive Producer) boasts over 30 mini documentaries (Filmations) made with narration, photos and video, covering topics such as the Bolivian revolution to Augusto Pinochet's coup d'Etat. It's a collective monument of achievement and will provide inspiration to others who have their own stories to tell.

Coupling images with narration over a timeline is becoming very fashionable and seems to be a natural extension of the direction the internet is heading. There are a number of companies that have recently released platforms that give users the ability to create their own Filmations and not least there is our own Filmator system.

If you have a little time on your hands I strongly encourage you to check out the Magnum InMotion series and see for yourself what all the fuss is about. You will be amazed.

Please contact bj@magnumphotos.com for information.

    The Pitch

The online media editing arena is teeming with new startups that have their own unique angle on mashing up media. Splashcast had a big launch recently, and Adobe who are holding hands with Photobucket have also entered the game with their own little kiddies toy (poor effort guys - be very ashamed). The Filmator system was the first off the block in this sector and launched in july 2006 and happens to be our favorite (disclaimer:- we developed this product but this has not influenced our opinion in an way!) The interest in this sector is exploding and as such it looks as though soon there will be as many contenders as there already are for the oh so fashionable social networks.

Why all this interest in making and manipulating media? The reason for us was simple, there is war going on over distribution rights for content produced by the majors and as such the battles are clear for all to see. With the likes of Youtube and Google facing increasing pressure to pay for the content they broadcast. We have also been in similar battles with another of our sites Doc-Film-Net where we have faced the similar legal assaults. The irony is that many of those with stories to tell (the subjects) have traditionally been treated like second rate citizens.

For example documentaries made about subjects who have then found they were dropped like rotten tomatoes and were very rarely satisfied with the experience. (I can provide many examples.) So the answer for us was to develop Filmator as a way to solve both these issues. The motives of the others will surely be different from ours but I see it as a leap forward when story tellers can bypass the traditional hurdles and connect directly with their audience. Although I have not tried Castfire yet, it looks like an interesting effort in this sector and worth checking out. However it appears there is no way to register on their site at this time (little oversight there guys)?

What will distinguish the players are the users who adopt these systems. Each with its own take and control on mashup media. With all these opportunities for creators to manipulate and control their media, I wonder if soon a cult will emerge like in the nineties for the DJing scene.

Please contact brian@castfire.com for an information pack.