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Microsoft has money. Lots of money. So much money, in fact that they can afford to blow a big wad on lame promotional videos starring celebrities. It’s that way today and most definitely that way during the launch of Windows 95. Gaze in horror at this complete train wreck of a promotional video starring (the then gainfully employed) Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston. Wince in pain at the Seinfeld-esque base guitar ’stings’ after each attempt at humor. And knowingly nod at the revelation why this was the first and last Cyber-Sitcom.

As a self-admitted Google fanboy the Mountain View company’s ponderous response to Viacom’s allegations were a bit nerve racking. Of course, having had yet another outstanding quarter maybe the billion dollars Viacom was demanding for clips placed on YouTube didn’t seem like that big of deal. Of course I wouldn’t be happy about it but if that’s the way Larry and Sergey wanted to roll with an old media shake down I’d have to live with it.

However, a new update from Rob Hof seems to indicate that we’re going to get the courtroom smack down that we’ve been hoping for.

“Viacom’s complaint in this action challenges the careful balance established by Congress when it enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act,” the answer reads in part. “By seeking to make carriers and hosting providers liable for Internet communications, Viacom’s complaint threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment, and political and artistic expression.”

The company also demands a jury trial, and it has hired the Chicago firm Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott, which Google characterized as ace trial lawyers, in addition the Google’s frequent counsel, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Many people think a settlement is likely at some point. But given that no settlement negotiations are underway currently, according to Michael Kwun, Google’s managing counsel for litigation, Google apparently can use some good trial lawyers.

Why is a court case such a big deal? For one, this may be one of the biggest tests of the DMCA’s safe harbor provision. A precedent of this magnitude really needs to be created for the myriad of companies who’s business is dependent on that provision. Two, its good that the under employed legal industry can find work in this none litigious society that we live in….

Oh wait…

Any clique worth its stereotypes has its good and its bad sides. Often its these less glamorous, darker passions that go unspoken about. For marketing its a Machiavellian streak. For management its the deep-seeded fear of loosing control. And for geeks? Well, as this editor for Gizmodo demonstrates, its the desire to see who would win in a cage match between Optimus Prime and an iPod (hint: the Apple device scratches easily).

At MilitantGeek we’ve made much of Second Life’s foibles. It’s not so much because the idea of a rich, user created virtual world worthy of comparisons to Neal Stephenson’s metaverse is a bad one. Rather, its because Second Life is not that world.

It would seem that Second Life’s own users are beginning to agree. In the past week they’ve banded together to demand that the world be fixed so that its… um… usable. The online petition includes such audacious things as:

• Inventory loss
• Outages of friend lists (similar to your IM contact list)
• Build tools that don’t work
• Commercial transaction failures

Ouch. Second Life advocates like to champion the user-built features of the virtual world. However these glaring problems demonstrate just how dependent on Linden Lab the users really are. Until Linden Lab can deliver on its gigantic economic and cultural promises we’ll continue to point out the platform for what it is: a lousy 3D Myspace wannabe masquerading as the future.

Finally! Somebody breaks down the copyright morass into simple, understandable language that the rest of us can understand [no blaring at work, btw - two usages of the s-word lie within]:

Or, as Jack Black likes to remind his fans: “Don’t be a Douche”.