MySpace blocks Photobucket.com generated videos from its site angering many MySpace users.
Sometime around 10:30 pm PST tonight, MySpace began blocking videos embedded on MySpace pages that originate from Photobucket. This is a major blackout, affecting millions of embedded videos. Photobucket images and slideshows are not affected. Videos from competitors like YouTube are still working fine.
Photobucket.com used to be a photo sharing dedicated site, now they have added user videos embedding their images with music (copyrighted music are available to be used as a background music). Many MySpace users use these Photobucket.com videos to show off to their friends with photos and music selection of their own. For some unknown reason MySpace has removed or deleted all the Photobucket.com videos from its site. I think MySpace feels Photobucket Videos are in direct competition with their MySpace videos.
Photobucket has about 40 million registered users and more than 2.7 Billion images downloaded into its site and also they are shared in different sites and blogs. It is a massive presence in the net. Because of this block, many MySpace users are really mad at MySpace decision to remove these videos without warning. Earlier, MySpace blocked other companies from using it site and cited security reasons, they blocked Vidilife, Stickam and Revver.com sites.
Michael Arrington, TechCrunch Editor, said
today’s shutdown of Photobucket comes suspiciously close to news that Photobucket is up for sale (Fox, MySpace’s parent company, was notoriously rumored to be furious when YouTube sold to Google). He says, MySpace doesn't want to give any recognition to those companies that use MySpace as a background and they don't want other companies become successful from its user base. MySpace usually uses Security breach as the reason for shutting them down. He has contacted MySpace, so far no response from MySpace Pubic Relations Office.
The
Photobucket users are very angry at this point with this block.
Photobucket CEO Alex Welch said about this block, they don't rely on just MySpace alone, their users use Photobucket products on various sites and blogs, only a low percentage use MySpace. And said:
We believe this action by MySpace is a retrograde step in the evolution of
the Web and an unacceptable attempt to limit the freedom of the very people who are its lifeblood – its users.
I think MySpace is acting like a tyrant, they became famous because of all the widgets, videos, photos and stuff, other wise they will be a mediocre site at best. They better have a good reason for it, otherwise I think others may file a lawsuit against them. MySpace should worry more about Child predators and underage children using their sites.
