Proposal and 2 New Sources

            For my research project I wish to focus on YouTube and their copyright infringement laws. Reason being why I chose this was because I myself am part of the YouTube community and wish to address YouTube's copyright infringement laws and whether they actually protect YouTubers.

            My main focus for this project will be whether or not YouTube copyright infringement laws help or hurt YouTubers. From my research findings so far I have found many problems coming from small screenwriters where big companies will take their creations and take them for themselves. From the article  YouTube--The Next Generation of Infringing on Creative Works: What Can Be Done to Protect the Screenwriters? by Ashlee M. Knucky, she addresses how it's been a huge problem with the big companies taking from small YouTubers and majority of the time they get away with it because their "lawsuit would be thrown out on summary judgment almost immediately, because without direct proof of access, courts will rarely find works similar enough to present them to a jury." [1]. Since this has been a big problem for YouTubers, I chose this topic to address what has been done and/or what needs to be done to protect the current and future YouTubers.

            With YouTube becoming more and more popular as time goes on I feel this is a good and timely topic to chose. Youtube currently has 1 billion active users each month, and that is a lot of people to be viewing content. And out of those billion of people, how many are taking footage and ideas from YouTubers? Youtube is a business, it's some peoples main source of income, which is why I chose to focus on their copyright infringement laws and why this is going to be a good example of an academic research and writing. From my sources they focus on individual trials that break YouTube's copyright infringement laws or what is wrong with their copyright infringement laws. I want to take those sources a step further and look at what YouTube copyright infringement laws actually do, and what they can do or have done to change them so they do protect their creators. Instead of focusing in on individual cases or groups, I'd like to focus more on the YouTube community as a whole and research on what can be done to help protect them.

1. Knuckey, Ashlee M. "YouTube--The Next Generation of Infringing on Creative Works: What Can Be Done to Protect the Screenwriters?"LexisNexis Academic. N.p., 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=285301&sr=TITLE(YouTube--The+Next+Generation+of+Infringing+on+Creative+Works%3A+What+Can+Be+Done+to+Protect+the+Screenwriters%3F)%2BAND%2BDATE%2BIS%2B2009

2 New Sources

Breen J. YouTube or YouLose: Can YouTube Survive a Copyright Infringement Lawsuit?. Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal [serial online]. Fall2007 2007;16(1):151-182. Available from: OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson), Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 25, 2015.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=502fd3ca-fe65-4deb-946a-e767e0bbdc98%40sessionmgr198&hid=110&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHVpZCZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=ofm&AN=502581557

Hassanabadi A. VIACOM V. YOUTUBE—ALL EYES BLIND: THE LIMITS OF THE DMCA IN A WEB 2.0 WORLD.Berkeley Technology Law Journal [serial online]. 2011 Annual Review 2011;26(1):405-439. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 25, 2015.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=85aa2de1-c0a9-4da9-998e-9e0bb9643075%40sessionmgr110&hid=110&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHVpZCZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=67089738

These two new sources that I found address YouTube's copyright infringement laws. I found both of these sources by searching for YouTube and copyright, YouTube and DMCA, and YouTube and copyright infringement. The first source being on lawsuits against YouTube due to their copyright infringement laws and whether or not YouTube could survive them if more come. The other source focuses more on an individual case (Viacom v. Youtube) and addresses the  U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) may not be meeting issues that have been raised in the internet field. I feel both of these sources will help my research the first source does address how YouTube may not be able to keep taking hits from copyright lawsuits and the other source is an actual case involving the copyright act. 

Assignment 7

Jones, M. (2006). Will news find a home on YouTube? Nieman Reports, 60(4), 52-54. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/216754613?accountid=15078

            Knuckey, Ashlee M. "YouTube--The Next Generation of Infringing on Creative Works: What Can Be Done to Protect the Screenwriters?"LexisNexis Academic. N.p., 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

            Will news find a home on YouTube? article talks about the success of Youtube and how anyone now a days can post onto it. We all have digital cameras and easily anyone can make an amateur video, but something that isn't popular on YouTube is high-quality amateur news. Many people will just repost clips or highlights from news shows like the Daily Show, but very little original creators on YouTube. Reasons for why there aren't more news channels on YouTube is that there are limitations. Not many YouTubers have proper management, so many online amateur videos do not become trendy. And with copyright laws and video length limits, it makes it hard for people to create videos.

This article helps my paper to show that YouTube isn't as easy of a business but there is opportunity for it to grow more and to attract a wider audience. And if news was to become more popular on YouTube, the opportunities and job offers it could create for the future would be great.

            YouTube--The Next Generation of Infringing on Creative Works: What Can Be Done to Protect the Screenwriters? Talks about how with YouTube becoming more of a popular website, how it should do a better job with protecting original creators and screenwriters. Very commonly screenwriters will try to put their pilot videos of their ideas for a movie or tv on YouTube in hope of some executive finding it. But what happens when someone takes their idea and they end up missing out on that kind of cash? This happens far too often on Youtube and the article goes in depth with the things YouTube should change so creators content will be prevented from being stolen. It talks about registering your work, so if someone was to steal it you can sue and win since their is proof that it would be your work. And it brings up ideas with how YouYube should have an achieve for who views videos to have a history for proof. But YouTube's copyright infringement laws are very flaky so if YouTube was to grow more in the future, that would be something that would have to change. This source will help my paper because it shows that with the attention YouTube is getting and will be getting more of in the future, there are flaws that can rise with YouTube becoming more popular in the future.

Current Research Project: Week 4

What is your research issue?

            My research issue is going to address the Youtube entertainment industry. I want to explore the future of Youtube and how it is a new 21st centenary career path people can go to and how it can benefit and affect upcoming generations.

What is your current research question?

            How is the Youtube Industry affecting the future of the entertainment business?

What do you believe are going to be some of the challenges of completing this research project for your class and why?

            I think one of the biggest challenges I face when doing this research project is being able to find enough scholarly sources that will support my issue. Not many people write on Youtube the way I want to address and it has been a challenge trying to be able to find some articles that relate to my issue in some way.

What do you believe are going to be some of your strengths as you approach this research project and why are they strengths?

            Some of my strengths that I will have when doing this research project will be the fact I took English 102 before so I know what to expect and what to look for. Plus I know what makes a good paper this time around. Another strength I have is that I am very passionate about my research topic so it will make the process of writing this paper a lot easier. I've always been into the Youtube industry and how it works, so this paper is not only for class but for my benefit as well.

What questions or concerns do you have for our class that you would like to address during conferences?

            A concern that I have is that I have been struggling trying to find some sources that will help and trying to get a good research question (I'm still in the air about it), would it be possible to meet during conference hours and try to brainstorm or get some extra help with whether I should use a certain source or not?

Beginning of the Term Writing Journal

Through out high school we are engraved with the idea of how to write an essay. Think of a thesis than write an essay that does not drift from your topic. In Let's End Thesis Tyranny by Bruce Ballenger he talks about how the thesis has always been the reason for why students write more encyclopedic reports, something colleges normally are not looking for. He suggest we should teach students what makes a good question, rather than a thesis.

            From my experiences in high school and college what Ballenger talks about with the struggle of a thesis is something I have always encountered. Back in high school whenever it came to essays, I despised them for the main reason I would always get stuck halfway through due to my thesis. The thesis always made it so I couldn't expand more my general topic since it would go off from what my thesis was. Which is why majority of my essays sounded like something you would grab out of an encyclopedia. It was all knowledge people already knew, there was no room for expanding the topic. It wasn't until college where I was able to start to expand my horizon. Once I came to college I went from writing dry, factual papers to actually writing beginner scholarly papers. Main reason why was I was taught to focus more on what makes a good question than just picking a thesis statement, because with a good question a thesis statement will be developed in time. As Ballenger addressed in his paper, "The essay in its original form may have a thesis, but it was often a delayed one, and even then, it wasn't really a thesis but a tentative judgment." [1].

            From reading Let's End Thesis Tyranny, Ballenger was trying to get across the idea of teaching students and writers to not focus so hard on a thesis, but rather focus on the question. Ballenger didn't address we should get rid of the thesis all together, but instead allow the writer to "take on any topic, even when they don't know what they think about it." [1]. He gets to this point by making sure to set up his paper with first addressing what we have already engraved in students' heads about writing a thesis, then moving into how we can get students to step away from encyclopedic research papers to open ended research papers, and why that would be a good thing. Ballenger does get his argument across to the audience, which would be focused on teachers and writers, by addressing what the problem is and showing how we can improve it. Though it may have worked better in his favor if he did use more sources  and examples for why students should focus on a hypothesis and a question rather than a thesis so the support for his argument would be stronger. Ballenger does come off more opinionated than factual when he does address the thesis by many different derogatory names and meanings which some may argue helped get his point across or more lessoned his cause.

1. Ballenger, Bruce. "Let's End Thesis Tyranny." (2013): 1-17. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

From the readings what they are trying to get across is the beginning steps to writing a research paper. In the DK Handbook and Davis and Shadle's essay it talks about how writing does come from your ideas, thoughts and opinions but when you write you need to write for other people. The reader doesn't understand what is going on in your head, so you must make it clear to the reader if you want to get your opinion across to them. But when writing a research paper, you need to pick a topic that interest you, not one that may seem easy or interesting. Once you have a general idea of your research topic, gather and examine articles and resources that support your idea. After some time of researching you will start to develop a thesis, than a statement of purpose.

           My experiences with the research process has had it's ups and downs. I've always understood how the process goes, but my one struggle has always been finding a topic I can write multiple pages about and creating a good thesis statement. I've taken English 102 before and my problem before was I became stuck halfway through my research paper last time due to my thesis. I felt I wasn't able to broaden my view for my paper and I hit a dead end with my research. I'm hoping that this time around to pick a topic that does interest me and is a well known topic so I can do lots of research without hitting a dead end like last time.

For my research paper I am looking at researching the online entertainment business boom and whether this boom is going to effect the future for the good or for the bad.

            I my focus would specifically be on youtubers and streamers, focusing on how popular it has become over the past couple of years and how many people now make videos and stream online as a full time job. How working from home and online is now becoming more of a popular career choice now. One example of a successful youtuber who has made it big through this online entertainment business would be PewDiePie, one of the richest youtubers. With a total of 34.4 million subscribers (and rising), 7.8 billion views, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg (PewDiePie) makes an estimated $825k-$8.47 million yearly (after Youtube's 45% cut).

            One of the topics I'd like to focus on is how this YouTube boom will effect the future. Will more television networks and shows start to go to YouTube due to the large audience? Will YouTube die down in the future or just grow bigger? Will it become harder for new Youtubers to get big due to the massive amount of users and videos?

  

            Null, C. (2012, 08). Let YouTube build your business. PC World, 30, 25-26. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1025766869?accountid=15078

            The future of YouTube stars. (2013). PR Newswire Europe Including UK Disclose, Retrieved from https://ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1496171951?accountid=15078

            When trying to find these two sources for my assignment the things I kept searching for was Youtube AND ________. The blank being filled in with many things such as business, entrepreneur, paid, and entertainment. It did take some time before I could find a scholarly source that did related to my topic. The two articles that I found, one being Let YouTube build your business, and the other being The future of YouTube stars. My paper is trying to focus on the entertainment part of Youtube and how it is going to change the future of the entertainment business.

            Let YouTube build your business talks about tips and tricks to making a good Youtube video and how small businesses can make a profit from Youtube if following basic tips to making a successful Youtube video. Reason why I chose this text was to show what all goes into making a Youtube video and how simple it can be and how complex it can be to the audience. 

            The future of YouTube talks about if these famous Youtubers can keep there die hard fan base over time and if this is a career that could last forever. It goes in deeper later in the article about how some Youtubers get talent managers to help keep this celebrity like status for longer, helping with branding, their career online and offline, getting sponsored, and keeping a friendly face to the public. Reason for choosing this article was to help support my argument of the work that goes into being a Youtuber and that this is a new career opportunity, how similar it is to real life celebrities and the amount of work that does go into it.