We are in the midst of a shift in the way we consume video content.  Nielsen released its first set of online video metrics since June 2010.  With online video usage up a staggering 45%, our content is increasingly being delivered by online services.   Along with this continued change in our viewing habits, there is a continued change in revenue streams for video content.  We can delve into piracy and its potential effects on revenue streams another time. For now lets focus on how the increase in use of online video services will effect both the future of television and the future of what has become our most important basic utility for communication, culture, and speech... the internet. 

By Thomas Yohannan

The theme of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was any content, anywhere, anytime, and on any device.  It is CES, so you could expect that every company was showing off their new models from tablets to 3D TVs. This year’s darling was the tablet, with the Motorola Mobility's Xoom and Research In Motion's Playbook garnering the most attention.  The best in show went to the Motorola Altrix.  

With the major national carriers racing to launch 4G devices, including HSPA+, LTE, and, in Sprint's case, WiMAX devices, there continues to be a growing importance of the wireless spectrum in the U.S. economy.  Innovation is not only needed for the devices, but for the network on which the devices rely.  

"For Promotional Use Only – Not for Resale."  If you’ve ever listened to a promotional CD or LP (yes, they still do exist), then you’ve probably seen that phrase stamped on the front label.  By stamping the phrase on promotional records, record companies believed that the copyright laws were being preserved.  Copyright holders have battled in court to try and limit  the scope of the ‘first sale doctrine,’ which gives us the right to resell the physical copies of albums we own(and books and other copyrighted works), so that it wouldn't apply to promotional records.