I just uploaded my first (test) video to Google under its new video upload program, so we’ll see how that goes. The process was pretty similar in some ways to Ourmedia‘s upload process.
They ask for less metadata, but it’s interesting — and I think disappointing — that designating rights isn’t a part of the upload process. There’s no option to assign your media a Creative Commons license, permitting others not only to access your work but to reuse it creatively — to remix it, borrow from it, quote from it, build upon it.
Because the default is traditional copyright, it is presumably illegal to download a video from Google and share it, or retransmit it to another site, or use it on a commercial site (there are many works on Ourmedia that can be used by commercial entties — because the owner assigned those rights).
There’s also some noise in the blogosphere about what Google may do with your video, given their Terms of Service, which is quite a bit denser (and filled with lawyerese) than Ourmedia’s terms of service: You own your own material. Ourmedia claims no intellectual property rights over the material you provide to our service.
At BoingBoing, Jacob Kaplan-Moss writes:
I’ve taken a look at the Video Uploader terms of service, and they contain some… suspect clauses, including the provision that Google can bill you for excessive bandwidth. Thought you might be interested…
Couple of other differences:
Google video doesn’t support Flash Ourmedia does.
Ourmedia also will freely host audio files, podcasts, images, text documents, software, games and more. Google doesn’t.
Overall, though, Google’s foray into video is a welcome addition to the cause of spreading the personal media revolution. Now: which of the other search engines will provide free hosting for grassroots media — and will join an open media registry so those works can be freely shared and accessed?
PVR Blog has more here.
JD Lasica, founder of Inside Social Media, is also a fiction author and the co-founder of the cruise discovery engine Cruiseable. See his About page, contact JD or follow him on Twitter.
At the NCTA National Show, Larry Page was asked about audio and he said that the reason they are focusing on video is because it is harder to find places to store it and distribute it while audio is easier and there are more options.
Also, he said they wanted to put as few limitations on the service as possible to see what people want. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were willing to add Creative Commons.