Google + YouTube = ???

So Google has bought up YouTube. Lots of varied opinion on the move over the ‘net, but the one I happen to agree with is the “watch for the lawsuits to start flying now” camp. Now that there’s some money behind it, look for the copyright lawsuits to start coming out of the woodwork. YouTube was losing money before, so what was the point of suing them? Now there’s some cash to be had… YouTube was nice while it lasted. Now that Google has taken over, I don’t think we’ll see it continue in its current incarnation for a long time. I’ve been enjoying searching and watching all kinds of clips on there lately too. It’s even better than late night TV. I’ve found songs and performances that you can’t find anywhere, music videos that music stations no longer play, and fan made videos that have introduced me to some new music I wouldn’t have thought to listen to. Luckily, I figured out how to save all the videos that I find that I like, so even when they’re inevitably yanked, I can still watch them. It’ll be interesting to see what direction YouTube goes now that it’s backed by a mega corporation with some money muscle. Will they continue to make deals with media companies and get them to embrace the technology, or will it go the way of Napster?