A Very Random Rant

This space was meant to be occupied by a YouTube clip of Hugh Laurie's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. Since the post before this one (and the post that will follow) are both about Brits, I was going to use Laurie's endearing and funny speech to comment on how it's very possible that, as one friend of mine continually states, "They're just better than us."

But alas, the clip has been removed from YouTube. And that makes sense, because some short-sighted, techno-phobic, penny-pinching copyright holders will always do their best to delay the arrival of that glorious/hideous epoch when even the healthiest and most talented of us sit around in our pajamas all day watching 45-second clips of old sitcoms, collecting welfare checks, trying not to stain our mouse too badly with Cheetos dust. That's fine. But here's my problem: Seven or eight clips of the Laurie speech had been posted, every one of them still teased on the main page. And each time you click on one, you're taken to an infuriating screen that says:

This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner Dick Clark Productions, Inc. because its content was used without permission

Why doesn't YouTube just remove any trace of such videos? Does Dick Clark Productions really need the additional advertising? Is it just a punishment that allows DCP to publicly shame YouTube for the transgression, like when Larry David had to wear the sandwich board outside the restaurant after stealing the silverware on "Curb Your Enthusiasm"? Any lawyers care to enlighten us? Anyone still reading?

Hello?