14 DAY TRIAL // The upcoming Die Hard, also known as Live Free or Die Hard, is one of the videos promoted by YouTube straight on the main page of the video service. Although there was no official statement concerning a new deal, YouTube published the trailer of the upcoming Bruce Willis movie on the first page of the video service along with a "In Theaters Summer 2007" message. As I said before, YouTube tends to become more and more a video service used with other goals than sharing videos with friends or other members because the product is now serving for publishing trailers or promoting interesting cases.
Today, a new case concerning Google's product was reported after the owners of some stolen gems published a video on YouTube to identify the burglars and recover their products. According to the reports, the victims of the theft were also offering a $10.000 reward for the information that leads to the attackers.
In the past, other cases concerning YouTube were reported on the Internet, proving us the Google product will become a police tool soon. For example, the authorities from numerous countries posted clips on YouTube to identify suspects and resolve complicated cases. An US policeman uploaded a surveillance video on the page, requiring users' help to find the suspects and arrest them.
So, it seems like YouTube is not as useless as some users think, although it is often assaulted with critics and lawsuits. As you surely know, Viacom, the owner of MTV and Comedy Central, filed a complaint against YouTube requiring $1 billion in damages. The video service was acquired by Google in October 2006 for $1.6 billion, one of the biggest investments ever made into an online company.
