Youtube Web Site

Patrolman Brian Johnson of the Franklin, Mass., Police Department studied a surveillance video showing two men using allegedly stolen credit cards at a Home Depot. But when Johnson didn't recognize either man, he decided to involve people -- a lot of them -- to help crack the case. He posted a clip from a security camera on YouTube.com, Google Inc.'s video-sharing website, then e-mailed the clip's link to about 300 people and organizations, saying the department was looking for the men.

Viacom Inc.'s chief executive Tuesday defended the company's get-tough tactics with Google Inc.'s YouTube video-sharing website, saying that the unauthorized posting of clips from Viacom shows not only cost Viacom advertising dollars but put the material on a platform that made some advertisers uncomfortable.

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Looking to check out the latest videos of cavorting kittens and lovelorn lip-synchers on YouTube? If you live in Turkey, you're out of luck. After receiving a court order, Turkey's largest telecommunications provider Wednesday blocked access to the popular video-sharing website because it featured clips that were seen as insulting to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. The censorship is evidence of YouTube's growing social and political resonance.

Sumner Redstone, Viacom Inc.'s 83-year-old chairman, got the call Monday at the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica telling him that the company he controls was declaring war on Internet giant Google Inc. after months of failed talks. Vacationing with his wife Paula, Redstone was informed by Chief Executive Philippe Dauman that the media company would be suing Google the following day for more than $1 billion.

With a $1-billion lawsuit, Viacom Inc. is aiming to upend Google Inc.'s plan to change the way people watch TV and movies. Viacom, which owns MTV Networks and Paramount Pictures, sued Google in federal court Tuesday, accusing the Internet company of "brazenly exploiting" the power of the Web to make easy money off Hollywood's hard work.

Most of the video clips that TV networks are willing to share with YouTube aren't the stuff people want to watch. CBS news anchor Katie Couric's interviews attracted only a few thousand viewers, and behind-the-scenes vignettes with the cast of NBC's new drama "The Black Donnellys" got a few hundred. But the amateur video of Nora the Piano Playing Cat, "Practice Makes Purrrfect," drew 1.5 million. So why is Viacom Inc. bothering to sue YouTube? It's all about control, and money.

Media mogul Sumner Redstone has had a love-hate affair with YouTube Inc. this week. No sooner had one company he controls, Viacom Inc., sued the online video site for $1 billion than CBS Inc., which he also controls, struck a major deal with it. Under an agreement announced Thursday, YouTube will show CBS clips from the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament.

Lonelygirl15, OK Go and other YouTube sensations will get an opportunity to walk down a virtual red carpet. The video-sharing website announced Monday that it would hold the first YouTube Video Awards to recognize the best user-created videos of 2006. The awards will be handed out in seven categories: most creative, most inspirational, best series, best comedy, musician of the year, best commentary and "most adorable video ever." The nominees, picked by YouTube, are compiled in a gallery at www.

The latest brouhaha over alleged copyright infringement on the Internet has pitted some of the biggest names in corporate America against each other: Viacom Inc. Chairman Sumner Redstone versus Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt. But you'd be wise to keep your eyes on two other guys who, in a small way, are helping to transform the media landscape: Christopher Allan Smith and Ryan Neisz.

News Corp. and NBC Universal's newly announced video service highlights a growing recognition among television networks: Their names alone mean little to younger audiences. For decades, NBC, News Corp.'s Fox Broadcasting and other TV networks have agonized over their prime-time lineups and courted viewers with slogans such as "Must See TV." On the Internet, the networks initially mimicked the don't-touch-that-remote formula, making many of their shows available free -- on their own websites.