Mark Cuban, the Internet billionaire and wacky Dallas Mavericks owner says anyone who would want to buy YouTube is a "moron". A moron Cuban is not. No one has better timing as he proved when he unloaded Broadcast.com right before the Internet bubble burst. Now Cuban warns that anyone who buys YouTube will be "sued into oblivion". And that the only reason it hasn't happened so far is that there is no real money to go after. Cuban makes an interesting point. YouTube is setting itself up for fight after fight over rights. But they know that. That's why you're beginning to see them make digital rights deals -- the most recent, notable one with Warner Records. Cuban is not saying video clips are not a business -- just that making it a profitable and legal business is going to take more than a billion dollar purchase price. Don't be surprised if some mega corporation pays the price of ownership. The upside seems so sweet. And what do big corporations have so many lawyers on the payroll for anyway? I wouldn't be surprised if YouTube wound up spurring the resolution of what to do with rights management. The day is coming when "use" will be monitored seamlessly and the piper will get paid. If so, the record industry is back in business. See how fast they stop pushing CDs down their customers throats. The underlying question for a big mega corporation is: do you buy YouTube before a digital rights management and payment system is in place because once it is, the cost of purchasing YouTube could be a bargain at $1 billion.
YouTube Buyers: Mark Cuban Calling All "Morons"
Mark Cuban, the Internet billionaire and wacky Dallas Mavericks owner says anyone who would want to buy YouTube is a "moron". A moron Cuban is not. No one has better timing as he proved when he unloaded Broadcast.com right before the Internet bubble burst. Now Cuban warns that anyone who buys YouTube will be "sued into oblivion". And that the only reason it hasn't happened so far is that there is no real money to go after. Cuban makes an interesting point. YouTube is setting itself up for fight after fight over rights. But they know that. That's why you're beginning to see them make digital rights deals -- the most recent, notable one with Warner Records. Cuban is not saying video clips are not a business -- just that making it a profitable and legal business is going to take more than a billion dollar purchase price. Don't be surprised if some mega corporation pays the price of ownership. The upside seems so sweet. And what do big corporations have so many lawyers on the payroll for anyway? I wouldn't be surprised if YouTube wound up spurring the resolution of what to do with rights management. The day is coming when "use" will be monitored seamlessly and the piper will get paid. If so, the record industry is back in business. See how fast they stop pushing CDs down their customers throats. The underlying question for a big mega corporation is: do you buy YouTube before a digital rights management and payment system is in place because once it is, the cost of purchasing YouTube could be a bargain at $1 billion.
