* Miguel A. Pérez Gómez of the University of Seville has written what we think is the first Spanish-language academic article on vidding, Fan-Made Vids: Una introducción al vidding, los song vids, el recut, los mash-ups, el fan edit y otros artefactos audiovisuales. The full-text is available online.
* YouTube Ads Turn Videos Into Revenue. The New York Times reports that increasingly, marketing and ad revenue is trumping copyright fears at big entertainment companies. They’re letting clips and other videos stay up rather than issuing takedowns. While this may be good news for fans (depending on how you view advertising on your not-for-profit content), the article also notes that YouTube continues to be interested in developing “professional, long-form content” and is increasingly less interested in hosting amateur video.
* Bookforum (registration is free) reviews Lewis Hyde’s new book, Common As Air. Anxiety Over Influence: Copyright extensions are depriving the culture at large. Hyde is the author of 1983’s The Gift, a book whose concept of “gift culture” is very popular among fans. Bookforum describes Hyde’s new book as, “a resourceful call to arms… against the encroaching power of copyright fascism.” The review is terrific and well worth the two seconds it takes to register at the site. (Thanks to mikesgrrrl for the link.)