Reprinted with permission from FindLaw.com
The sheer power of the Internet was put on full display Saturday night by the YouTube Live event broadcast from San Francisco with hundreds of thousands of unique real-time online feeds and millions of follow-on downloads. This was YouTube's first live online show, with likely more to follow. The show had a little of something for every Netizen.
Katy Perry kicked things off with a very flirty version of her song "Hot 'N Cold." She later was interviewed and shown a funny video montage spoofing her song "I Kissed A Girl."
The show featured various dance acts, including break dancers from around the world. Little Demon stole this part of the show - he is a tiny break dancer, probably not old enough to be in elementary school yet. He brought the house down in his dance-off against comedian Michael Buckley.
YouTube has made international stars of previously unknown people, and these new stars were out in full force at the show. Fred is one such star. He is a teenager who makes videos of himself with a high-pitch, squealing voice, as if he had just inhaled helium. Fred's video of himself trying to make it to the show in San Francisco was greeted by audience laughter, and he interacted live with his fans.
The show also included a magician who manipulated laser beams, and the Myth Busters television guys bombarded one of their members with a paint balls explosion.
A college student who rose to fame via YouTube also was featured. He had uploaded video clips of himself playing with political candidates cut-outs taped on pencils. Ultimately, he became an Internet political youth voice, to the point that he interviewed Presidential candidates live in his college dorm room.
There was a presentation about a number of international female musical artists whose video clips were discovered on YouTube and who now have record and performance deals. One of them sang and danced live to the happy San Francisco fans.
The show had some moving moments. Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas sang "It's A New Day" with exuberance as there was a palpable enthusiasm about the election of Barak Obama. His In My Name piece about ending world poverty, with clips from regular people and well-known artists from many countries, was his way of using the Internet to make positive change.
The show also had meaning with a showing of a video by the Queen of Jordan highlighting her Internet effort to educate people to break down ethnic and religious stereotypes. Along the way, she congratulated the United States on its recent election, and the audience went wild.
The show displayed a powerful dance/song by the Soulja Boy group and closed with a polished performance by Akon.
How do I know all of this? I was in the front row, and fleeting glimpses of me can be seen on the YouTube upload of the show. My 17-year-old daughter can be seen even more rocking out with the audience and the stars; fortunately for this dad, it was all very appropriate.
How was this arranged? That is another story demonstrating the power of the Internet. Jay Sinrod, a long-lost cousin of mine, helped produce the You Tube Live show. I did not know anything of Jay, until earlier this year when he found me on the Internet as part of the House of Sinrod Web site he is creating. We met in New York City, brought both sides of our family together, and later he arranged for my attendance at YouTube Live.
The Internet continues to grow and prosper.
Eric J. Sinrod is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris. His focus includes information technology and intellectual-property disputes. This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only, and it should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author's law firm or its individual partners
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