Search Headlines – Fox on a Manhunt

Fox Trying to Uncover YouTube users

Google Watch reports that Twentieth Century Fox has subpoenaed YouTube to hand over the identity of one of its users after they someone uploaded Fox programs The Simpsons and 24 onto the site earlier this month. The subpoena asks YouTube to "disclose information sufficient to identify the Subscriber so that Fox can stop this infringing activity".

It looks like the ‘infringing activity’ has already been stopped since the identified user ECOTotal has had their YouTube account suspended. It’ll be interesting to see what happens from here. While the Digital Millennium Copyright Act protects YouTube from copyright lawsuits, it doesn’t protect its users. If Fox wants to go after ECOTotal for infringement there’s nothing to stop them — unless ECOTotal was smart enough not to give YouTube a real email address since he knew he’d be uploading illegal material. If that’s the case, it’ll take a lot of work on Fox’s part to figure out who the offending user is and how to reach him.

Of course, I don’t think Fox will actually go that far though. This is probably just a friendly reminder that Jack Bauer is out there. Or something. I don’t watch 24.

Who Are The Most Influential Men and Women On The Web?

I don’t know but I know who they’re definitely not: Jessica Rose and Perez Hilton. I’m not sure who got hit over the head with what over at Forbes, but according to them LonelyGirl15 is more influential than Seth Godin, Michael Arrington, Jimmy Wales and the beautiful Ze Frank. Only not really, of course. LonelyGirl15 isn’t even a real person.

Completely missing from the list were people like Mark Cuban, Dave Winer, Kevin Rose, Nick Denton, etc. Forbes tries to justify this by saying people who were famous before they hit the Web were ineligible but I don’t buy that. Mark Cuban has become far more annoying and influential since given a soapbox. I don’t think that can be ignored.

Who do you think should have been on the list? Kim Krause offers her two cents over at Cre8pc.

(via Andy)

Fun Finds

Matt Cutts lets everyone know he’ll be at SES London, which will be taking place in a couple weeks. Well, fabulous. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day in London without me. I’m going to have to get Bruce Clay UK’s Marie Howell to tell me all about the rockin’ parties the wonderful sessions.

David Temple stopped calling me a whiny cry baby (hehe) long enough to post his interview with our own Bruce Clay. In the interview, Bruce talks about the coining of "search engine optimization", how the SEOToolSet came about, and why on earth he hired me.

Lastly, Karl Ribas presents his list of favorite search engine marketing blogs and, I think, insults me in the process. What’s with everyone picking on me lately?

Lisa Barone is a writer, content marketer & VP of strategy at Overit Media. She's also a very active Twitterer, much to the dismay of the rest of the world.

See Lisa's author page for links to connect on social media.