GOOG to Outsource YouTube Filtering to AudibleMagic
(NASDAQ: GOOG) According to staff writers at WebProNews Google is outsourcing their YouTube filtering. Two unnamed sources, per Mercury News, stepped out saying that Google will soon unveil filtering technology from third party filtering provider, AudibleMagic. I would note the same firm that inked a deal with MySpace (copyright-centric) a little over a week ago.
According to WebProNews summary:
In the Mercury News piece, Elise Ackerman gives a quick overview of just how AudibleMagic’s technology functions:
The system works by comparing the audio fingerprint of a video to a large database of copyrighted material. Founded in 1999, Audible Magic originally was focused on the problem of monitoring radio broadcasts. It purchased the technology for audio fingerprinting from Muscle Fish, a Berkeley software company that Audible Magic acquired in 2000.
They go on to cite Marshall Kirkpatrick:
Marshall Kirkpatrick at TechCrunch, however, examines the bigger picture stemming from the surfacing of this news:
What does this mean? It means that the months of assurances that YouTube had copyright filtering technology in development and about to be implemented were either a ruse to buy time or a failed effort that has collapsed under pressure today.
Hmm, now that is some interesting food for thought. Were the folks at YouTube just throwing out some smoke and mirrors for stall tactics, or were they just unable to develop adequate technology on their own?
Interesting turn of events, but not near as interesting as what I am seeing going down with their API in some far flung cases. We already have dicey action like this frivolity in eDonkey as noted by Chris Boyd in the Greynets Blog…and I am beginning to analyze some cases that showcase some far nastier action.
Mashups, in all their web2.0 glory, may come with a darker price tag…while they certainly can be used to create new and wonderful things, they can also be used (like any technology) to do less than spectacular deeds as well. I will be watching to see if Google will provide some controls on the syndication of video or use of their API- or continue with their kudzu like approach to spreading to every corner of the Net and absorb the collateral damage as it comes- and it will come. So far they seem quite adept at doing so.
One can only sense that monetization of said video is around the bend, I can only hope it doesn’t go the way of Adwords.
