It’s still early, but according to one unconfirmed report from a blog called 606Tech, Viacom — which ordered YouTube to remove clips from Comedy Central, including Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart clips — has reached a deal with YouTube to license its content. According to the report, the switftness with which YouTube moved to take down the clips impressed the media conglomerate and the two found some common ground. A piece in Ad Week seems to support this idea as well.
All of which lends some credence to Techdirt’s view that Viacom’s takedown notices were effectively a bargaining tactic, just like when Universal was waving its arms and threatening legal action. And it would explain why Howard Owens and others (including the site No Fact Zone) have been struggling with the fact that some Comedy Central content has been removed while other content hasn’t.
