Yesterday greendem diaried about what many consider to have been the most emotional moment of yesterday's concert at the Lincoln Memorial: Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen leading a chorus of "This Land is Your Land".
However, something funny happened this morning on our way to Freedom.
As some of you may have noticed the video is not there anymore. HBO demanded that YouTube removed it.
Joe at Americablog who originally posted the video received the following email:
This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Home Box Office, Inc. claiming that this material is infringing:
This is Your Land: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-PCpRWqXv8)
And if you go to watch the video the following notice appears:
This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Home Box Office, Inc.
Commenting about the agreement between HBO and the Inaugural Committe Ben Smith of Político writes:
There is something a bit intuitively objectionable about barring other networks and random citizens from pointing their cameras at a public event like this on the Mall, and effectively prevent the broadcast of a key public part of the event, though the Inaugural Committee argues that selling the exclusive rights were the only way to pay for the extravaganza in tough economic times.
Which leads me to question, Who owns the Presidential Inauguration? The People or HBO? Or neither.
Is HBO right in claiming copyright to such an historic event? Or should broadcasting this historic event be considered a privilege and therefore HBO should not be assuming such an arrogant behavior?
Someone mentioned to me in a cynical way that the whole affair should be called the "We Are O-wned by HBO-bama Concert". I wouldn't go that far but it does raise questions about how effective will Obama be in erradicating corporate influence in Washington as opposed to just accepting and embracing it.
Not a good start in my view.
What do you think?