Late this morning, a flurry of deals from major copyright holders were announced by both YouTube and Google. Vivendi's Universal Music Group, which only a few weeks ago threatened to sue YouTube for "tens of thousands of dollars," announced a distribution deal with the online video giant. Just like the Warner deal struck several weeks ago, UMG will offer YouTube users access to thousands of videos from Universal's archives, and allow YouTube users to incorporate songs from its music catalog into their own videos. No financial details were disclosed. Meanwhile, CBS Corp. also announced a new partnership with the Web …

It was unthinkable a year ago, but that's how fast things change in the worlds of older teens and 20somethings: MySpace has become passé for many. The Associated Press cited one 26-year-old graduate student who just canceled his MySpace account. After realizing he had wasted time accumulating a bunch of acquaintances he knew little about, he lamented that the "superficial emptiness clouded the excitement I had once felt," in a column for Iowa State University's student newspaper. "It seems we have lost, to some degree, that special depth that true friendship entails." What does that mean? Perhaps kids of the …

Seen as an inconvenience in the United States, digital-rights management (DRM)--the protection software deployed by Apple Computer, Real Networks and others to keep their songs from being played on certain music players and certain devices--is being regarded by some as an all-out assault on consumer choice overseas. In Paris over the weekend, about 40 advocates from a consumer choice group called StopDRM handed out leaflets and waved banners claiming that they had committed a number of offenses and therefore deserved to be arrested. Their crimes ran in the following vein: buying songs from iTunes and converting the files so they …

TechCrunch scoopmaster Michael Arrington today reports that he received an email that Google is in the final stages of completing a deal to acquire YouTube, the viral video sensation, for $1.6 billion. Arrington says he called a VC source, who confirmed the price and said the rumors are circulating. It has been reported before that YouTube has held informal talks with a number of media companies about an acquisition in the $1.5-$2 billion range. Adds Arrington: "I suspect Google won't be daunted by the prospect of dealing with a ton of pissed off copyright holders. Based on experience with these …

Videos of the Iraqi insurgency are appearing on video-sharing sites like YouTube and Google Video. The videos aren't being uploaded by the insurgents; citizens in the U.S. and other countries are starting to upload clips from Jihadist Web sites showing graphic images of American troops writhing around on the ground, bleeding and wounded. Should YouTube allow this? It has always removed content repeatedly flagged for being "inappropriate." But does it have any way of guarding against such video being uploaded? It's a political issue, to be sure--especially since the Bush administration has restricted photos of U.S. soldiers' coffins and has …

Yahoo hasn't bought Facebook, and eBay hasn't bought StubHub, the online ticket marketplace that it has been courting for several months. What's the holdup? There are far cheaper options out there, for one thing. Facebook wants $1 billion; StubHub wants $300 million. Meanwhile, there are 100 Web 2.0 companies out there that have received roughly half a billion in venture-capital investments since the beginning of 2005, and that doesn't include independently wealthy angel investors. A few weeks ago, MarketWatch argued that Yahoo, given its recent troubles on Wall Street, needs a big-time acquisition like Facebook so it can mine …

As expected, T-Mobile--the fourth-largest U.S. mobile carrier--will announce plans today to deploy a third-generation wireless network. The Deutsche Telekom carrier recently came out of the FCC spectrum auction with the biggest and most expensive share of the spoils, paying $4.2 billion for new licenses. This means the company is serious about moving into the U.S. market. In the past, T-Mobile has lagged behind its American-based counterparts, like Cingular and Verizon, constrained by its lack of spectrum. T-Mobile is the only U.S. carrier without a high-speed 3G network. Analysts believe it will cost the company more than $3 billion over the …

Brad Greenspan, founder of MySpace parent Intermix media, is seeking a federal investigation into the sale of his company to News Corp. last year, claiming that News Corp. defrauded shareholders by undervaluing the Web's most popular social-networking site. Greenspan claims that former Intermix CEO Richard Rosenblatt hid revenue growth data at MySpace from shareholders to distort the company's financial picture, so he could execute a deal quickly. In his claim, Greenspan says MySpace could now be worth more than $20 billion. He is suing Intermix--now a News Corp. company--as well as venture-capital firm VantagePoint "for breach of fiduciary duty." …

Steve Jobs' job might be in danger, after the chief executive admitted to knowledge of backdated employee stock-option practices at Apple Computer. Options backdating has plagued Wall Street recently, and Jobs yesterday became the most high-profile Silicon Valley CEO to issue a public apology after admitting that he knew about the practice. A three-month internal inquiry had shown that Apple had backdated options on 15 occasions between 1997 and 2002. Back then, the practice wasn't necessarily illegal (it is now), although the failure to disclose it--or account for it properly--was. "If this were to escalate to the point where …

Skype co-founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom are trying their hand at online video, working together on a new software application that combines professionally produced TV and video with the Internet. Called "The Venice Project," the software connects with the Web and opens a full-screen window that apparently displays near high-definition-quality video images. This is more than just TV. If you toggle your mouse, a variety of tools appear while the video is playing. DVD-like controls appear at the bottom. On the left is a list of preset channels to choose from. Zennstrom and Friis have a history of developing …