As you may have seen in the news, YouTube received a court order to produce viewing data from our database, including usernames and IP addresses. In order to protect our community's privacy, we strongly opposed this motion when Viacom and others filed it. The court felt differently and ordered us to produce the data. Viacom said that they need general viewing information to determine the proportion of views on YouTube of copyright infringing content vs. non-infringing content.

It's been two weeks since the launch of The YouTube Screening Room , and that can only mean one thing: a fresh batch of short films for your viewing pleasure. For those of you who missed the initial announcement, The YouTube Screening Room is our new platform to help top films from around the world find the audiences they deserve. So far, hundreds of thousands of YouTubers have checked out the films, and thousands more have left comments.

Our friends over at Google Mobile have started a new YouTube channel called Mobile Tricks . They want to know what you can do with your cell phone, and start you off with a guy who's a bit obsessed with them. Look familiar? You might have seen him before in a unitard . They're asking for all kinds of tricks, from the useful to the completely ridiculous, and they can be with or without Google Mobile products. To submit a video, start and end it with these slides ,

Here on YouTube, there's no shortage of odes to 20th century cartoonist Rube Goldberg. If you're not familiar, Goldberg penned a comic series starring the eccentric Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts - who created elaborate contraptions to perform simple tasks in roundabout ways. Well, the Goldberg followers on YouTube have that concept down to a T - and, better yet,

The time has arrived for our next Guru Challenge, the ongoing programming initiative in which we ask a prominent or up-and-coming expert in their field to challenge the you, the YouTube community, to use your creativity to new ends. This month it's all about using your talents in an eco-conscious way. Michelle Kaufmann , a YouTube architect with a passion for green design, wants to see what you can create with items you would normally throw away: So come on,

We're excited to once again announce the expansion of the YouTube Partner Program . By joining the program, popular users in France and Germany - like new partners AericWinter and FabTheGap - will now be able to generate revenue from ads that run next to their videos, and receive the same promotional benefits afforded to YouTube's other professional content partners. Now in eight countries, the Partner Program showcases the global diversity of the YouTube community,

What do you get when you mix a ditty about testicular cancer with a group of citizens foraging for fruit on the streets of Los Angeles ? A pretty sweet trend on YouTube. You're probably well acquainted with the average activist - the demonstrator, the lobbyist, the boycotter, the PSA-junkie...In this week's Trendspotting Tuesday,

The new features included in our most recent site update are geared toward a more personalized experience for you. Check out the details... NEW PERSONALIZED HOMEPAGE Our goal is to give a simple answer to the question, "What should I watch today?" with a personalized, customizable homepage that makes it easy to find the videos and people that you care about. After reviewing results from our beta test and feedback from the community,

Uma das principais categorias de automobilismo no Brasil também tem seu espaço reservado no YouTube. Se você é fã de Stockcar e quer ficar por dentro dos últimos acontecimentos desta modalidade, acesse o lugar certo: youtube.com.br/stockcar Neste canal exclusivo você encontra os melhores momentos das competições nacionais, conhece quem são os profissionais por trás das corridas e comemora com os pilotos suas pole positions. Assista,

YouTube is in the middle of a creature invasion, courtesy of our creative community of video gamers and "Spore" , the much-anticipated new game from Will Wright , the creator of The Sims. Countless new species of lovable aliens have popped up all over the site, and you don't have to be an expert gamer to get in on the action. You can download the Spore Creature Creator for free, create your own alien,

Today, we're pleased to announce the launch of the YouTube Screening Room , a platform for films from around the world to find the audiences they deserve. Every year, tens of thousands of films are produced, but many of them never get a chance to be seen by a wide audience. Until now. The YouTube Screening Room will connect films and audiences in the world's largest theater, not only providing filmmakers with a much-needed showcase,

Calling all film aficionados! Earlier this spring, director Zack Snyder ) Dawn of the Dead , 300 ( asked a favor of the YouTube community. His request? To create a slew of fake "Veidt Enterprises" commercials for his upcoming movie, Watchmen . Using visual assets available online, hundreds of talented YouTubers heeded the call. Now, 40 finalists are competing for an unprecedented opportunity: a shot at being used in the actual feature film.

The ukulele is a tiny guitar that many associate with hula dancing at Hawaiian luaus or even Merry Prankster Tiny Tim . But leave it to YouTubers to prove that, actually, ukuleles are everywhere if you just do a little looking. From parodies to punk rock , to heartfelt originals to blazing displays of finger-picking skills , it's time to reconsider the many sounds and styles emanating from this humble instrument. On today's Trendspotting Tuesday , we bring you UkeTube!

We've heard many users say, "YouTube is the new TV!". Well, the YouTube Syndication team is excited to now offer a number of options to actually consume YouTube on your television sets. We're also proud to have helped many leaders in the consumer electronics space create YouTube experiences on TV. Getting YouTube right on TV is extremely challenging from both a design and technology perspective.

For years, politicians have relied on small focus groups to test new messages, measure public opinion, and squeeze as much actionable information as possible out of a dozen or so pre-screened subjects. But as with everything else in the age of Internet politics, YouTube is providing political campaigns with new ways to evaluate information and formulate campaign strategy. Our new analytics tool, YouTube Insight,

Sketch comedy and online video go together like deceased parrots and pythons called Monty. Online video gives sketch crews and improv teams the opportunity to create humor in the great outdoors , play with visual effects and, of course, reach a global audience without having to water down their work for broadcast television. Where else but online could you enter the world of twisted kids' TV with Backpack Picnic , experience Project Runway Vs.

Who doesn't love that feeling you get from helping someone out or saying something truly heartfelt? Our latest takeover is all about such acts of kindness, particularly the kind that YouTube facilitates. It feels like a pretty special time in history when you can do something nice, so easily, for someone you've never met and have it broadcast â€" and maybe even repeated â€" throughout the world. Take, for example, Juan Mann's "Free Hugs" campaign,

Hey YouTube! I'm Ramya and I'm the new Nonprofits & Activism Manager here at YouTube. I'm thrilled to be here, highlighting the best uses of YouTube to create meaningful social change and helping you leverage the power of YouTube for good. Last September, we launched the YouTube Nonprofit Program with the help of 13 nonprofit partner organizations. Today, thousands of nonprofits have joined the program and are using YouTube to raise awareness about important issues,

Trying to remember what life was like before the Internet gets a little bit harder every day. How did I buy a plane ticket again? We wrote letters by hand and sent them in the mail, you say? What did I do when I needed driving directions? The Internet has become a necessity in the daily lives of people all around the world, and on June 17 and 18, ministers from more than 40 countries will meet with global business leaders, technical experts, and academics in Seoul, Korea,

The new media revolution has been changing the media landscape for several years now, and we've had a front row seat to the action here at YouTube. People around the world have been using YouTube to report on the events and issues affecting their lives, shedding light on stories that might otherwise not be told and offering new perspectives on events covered by the traditional media. Today, to highlight these journalists on YouTube,