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{{Short description|Entertainment website}}
{{Cleanup-date|June 2006}}
{{title|eBaum's World}} {{Pp|small=yes}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Infobox Website
{{Multiple issues|{{Tone|date=January 2016}}
|websitename = eBaum's World
{{Primary sources|date=April 2010}}}}
|screenshot = ]
{{Lowercase title|eBaum's World}}
|commercial = Yes
{{Infobox website
|type = ] ]
| name = eBaum's World
|reg = Optional
| url = {{URL|http://www.ebaumsworld.com/}}
|owner = ]
| commercial = Yes
|author = eBaum's World Inc
| location_city = Brooklyn, New York
}}<!--PLEASE KEEP IN MIND WIKIPEDIA'S NEUTRALITY POLICY WHEN EDITING THIS ARTICLE-->
| type = ]
'''eBaum's World''' (subtitled "Media for the Masses") is a popular ] based in ] featuring entertainment media such as ]s, ] ]s and ]. It is highly controversial for many reasons, primarily due to allegations that content on the website is taken from other sources without permission and rebranded with the eBaum's World logo. The site, which is owned by ], native '''Eric "eBaum" Bauman''' ranks in the top 500 sites on the Internet according to ]. It is co-owned by Eric's secretary and fathers ] and Mr. T.
| registration = Optional
| owner =
| founder = Eric Bauman
| launch_date = {{start date and age|2001}} (] since December 3, 2002)
}}


'''eBaum's World''' is an entertainment website owned by Literally Media. The site was founded in 2001 and features comedy content such as memes, viral videos, images, and other forms of Internet culture. Content is primarily user submitted in exchange for points through a monetary point system "eBones."
==Features==
]


== History of ownership ==
The site features individual celebrity ]s, where users can click buttons to hear notable words or phrases spoken by that celebrity. By pressing certain buttons in an organized order, users can simulate the celebrities saying unusual things. In this way, the soundboards are commonly used in ]. These calls are often recorded and subsequently re-submitted to the site.
eBaum's World originated in ], featuring entertainment media such as ]s, ] ]s, and ]. The site was created and owned by Eric "eBaum" Bauman and his father, Neil. In August 2007, eBaum's World was acquired by HandHeld Entertainment, also known as ZVUE Corporation, for $15 million up front, $2.5 million in HandHeld stock, and up to $52.5 million in cash and stock over 3 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2007/08/02/ebaumsworld/|title=eBaum's World Sells for $17.5 Million|last=Cashmore|first=Pete|date=August 2, 2007|website=Mashable}}</ref>


On January 31, 2009, Bauman and the company's staff were terminated by ZVUE and the company moved to the San Francisco ZVUE offices. As of 2016, the Israel-based company Literally Media held a controlling stake of eBaum's World.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/cheezburgers-new-owner-is-israeli-digital-media-company/|title=Cheezburger's new owner is Israeli digital-media company|last=Lerman|first=Rachel|date=April 21, 2016|website=Seattle Times}}</ref>
eBaum's World has a very large forum community, with thousands of members and over one million posts that often include pictures, videos, etc. There are also games and animations as well as a ] and a store which sells eBaum merchandise. Since the site receives many emails suggesting content to add, there is a section called "Moron Mail."


eBaum's World is owned and operated by Literally Media, which also owns ], ], and ].
eBaum's World now had a Daily News section that displays a new video every few hours.


==Controversy== == Features ==
The site features individual celebrity ], where users can click buttons to hear quotes or phrases spoken by the celebrity. There is a ], a store on which eBaum merchandise are put on sale and a section called ''Moron Mail'' featuring feedback sent in by users. The site also featured a ], which existed until 2019. Bauman still operates a board created right after his termination by ZVUE. The forum was named in tribute to Bauman's history at the eBaum's World.
{{current event}}
eBaum's World has garnered significant controversy in many Internet communities over the years due to numerous accusations of content being taken from other sites without attribution, especially from websites such as ], ], ] and ]. Companies such as ] , ] , and ] have all claimed that Eric and ] have infringed on their copyrights. Eric Bauman denies critics' claims that the site's content is stolen, citing research done by site editors and the consent form that must accompany uploads of material. He claims to honor all requests to remove unauthorized material , but this is contested by some content creators. In particular, web artist and animator ], ("Weebl", creator of the ] animations) was only able to have his animations removed at the beginning of ]. Bauman has claimed that he formerly worked with Picking, though Picking has stated that this is false.


== Copyright infringement and controversy ==
Due to the unpopularity of the website in various communities, links to eBaum's have been filtered on various forums that have yet to come into conflict with eBaum's. On some forums instead of the members commenting on the link that has been posted they post ebaumsworldsucks.com link or insult Eric Bauman. Users can end up being ] by other users or even banned.
eBaum's World has garnered controversy due to numerous incidents of content being taken from other sites (such as ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]) without attribution. Companies such as ]<ref name="courttv.com">{{Cite web |url=http://www.courttv.com/news/cow/022603_prankcalls_ctv.html |title=court TV becomes truTV |website=CourtTV.com |access-date=2009-12-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030306095852/http://www.courttv.com/news/cow/022603_prankcalls_ctv.html |archive-date=2003-03-06 }}</ref> have claimed that eBaum's World has infringed on their copyrights. The site denied critics' claims, citing research done by site editors and the consent form that must accompany uploads of material. eBaum's World claimed to honor all requests to remove unauthorized material.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ebaumsworld.com/response-01-10-05.html |title=Funny Videos, Funny Pictures, Flash Games, Jokes |website=Ebaumsworld.com |date=2009-12-13 |access-date=2009-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831234504/http://www.ebaumsworld.com/response-01-10-05.html |archive-date=2009-08-31}}</ref>


=== Timeline ===
A web site, , has been set up by ]/] supporters ] (Lemon Demon), ] (AltF4), and Abi Rendon (LegalCondom, a former eBaum's World employee) to document the ongoing controversy between content creators and eBaum's World. The site hosts a page containing statements from content creators claiming that some of their works appear on eBaum's World without permission. The site also details cases in which eBaum's World has allegedly taken bandwidth and launched ] attacks on other sites. There are allegations that eBaum's World's Funbar toolbar may install adware.
* In 2003, Eric Bauman was threatened with legal action by corporations, citing unauthorized use of trademarked names or copyrighted material. One notable case involved the "soundboards" and the audio used within them.<ref name="courttv.com" />
* In January 2006, an animated image titled "] Doesn't Change Facial Expressions" was lifted from YTMND.com and posted at eBaum's World with the latter site's watermark superimposed. The incident touched off a feud between the two sites, resulting in eBaum's World removing the animation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wiki.ytmnd.com/EBaum%27s_World |title=EBaum's World&nbsp;— YTMND wiki, explaining the Internets one article at a time |website=Wiki.ytmnd.com |access-date=2009-12-20}}</ref>
* On May 26, 2006, several images from the Something Awful forums were displayed on the eBaum's World website.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.somethingawful.com/index.php?a=3089 |title=Mixed-up Movies |website=SomethingAwful.com |date=2005-07-29 |access-date=2009-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111185253/http://www.somethingawful.com/index.php?a=3089 |archive-date=2006-11-11}}</ref> {{Unreliable source?|date=January 2009}} The images on eBaum's World were cropped to remove the Something Awful watermark. The page was removed later in the day following multiple complaints being expressed on the eBaum's World forums. As a result, Something Awful switched to a more invasive ] template.
* On June 12, 2006, Steven Lerner of Albino Blacksheep explained that eBaum's World took the popular Flash animation "'']''", and the creator of the Flash animation, ], would take legal action against eBaum's World.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://alanbecker.deviantart.com |title=alanbecker on deviantART |website=AlanBecker.DeviantArt.com |access-date=2009-12-20}}</ref> Albino Blacksheep has also threatened legal action and claims that other websites have also asserted difficulties with Eric Bauman. Lerner and Becker used the MochiBot Flash tracking tool to track who used the animation on their web sites. Lerner also explained that the Flash animation is legally protected under the ] of 1998. Furthermore, when the Flash animation was posted on eBaum's World, it had been decompiled and the line "Hosted on albinoblacksheep.com" was removed. On June 9, Bauman sent Becker a $250 check as well as entering him into a monthly "contest" (of which Becker was the ] winner) in hopes of having any legal charges dropped. Becker was also told to submit a pre-written statement claiming that none of eBaum's World's content was stolen, and that Bauman had contacted him prior to his content being posted on the site. Alan accepted this proposal, and later submitted this letter of apology to the Flash community of Albino Blacksheep:
{{Quote | style=font-size:100% |1=Hello, I am the author of Animator vs. Animation&nbsp;...<br /><br />I feel so ashamed, and the world is ashamed of me.<br /><br />I fell into eBaum's trap. I gave them fuel to fight back.<br /><br />With their constant persuasion and offers for money, they made me write a quote saying that everything was fine. Of course everything was fine for me, because I had the money they had given me. What can you expect, I was dead poor before, I have no experience with business. The quote says they contacted me before they posted my animation on their website, however I did not give them permission to put it on.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/archive/june2006 |title=June 2006 &#124; Archive |website=AlbinoBlackSheep.com |access-date=2009-12-20}}</ref>}}


: On June 26, 2006, eBaum's World removed the animation and the apology from Becker from their web site.
In January 2006, eBaum's World hosted and watermarked a Lindsay Lohan montage created by YTMND user SpliceVW without crediting either SpliceVW or YTMND. In response, users from YTMND joined users from other internet communities, namely ], ], ], ], ], ] (Flashplayer.com), ]s-Stuff, and ]. These groups disrupted the eBaum's World forums with spam posts and DDoS attacks. On January 10, eBaum's World alleged the attacks were a form of cyber-terrorism, and on January 11, Neil Bauman, the executive vice president of eBaum's World, stated publicly that arrests were being made in relation to the attacks. Eventually Goldberg and Bauman came to an agreement, with Bauman removing the montage from his website, in return for Goldberg removing any reference to "eBaum" from his website. Despite the resolution of the conflict, both sites experienced DDoS attacks on the morning of January 12, 2006.


* On July 9, 2006, eBaum's World hosted an animation called "Dumb Dinosaur", originally found on Albino Blacksheep and Spinnerdisc.com. They subsequently removed the animation, and issued this apologetic statement to Drew Mokris, creator of Dumb Dinosaur:
On ], ], ], an eBaum's World representative, appeared on ]'s '']'' to try and clear up the recent controversy with YTMND. ], co-host of the show, asked Parker explicit questions about the alleged infringing. Parker claimed:
{{Quote | style=font-size:100% |1=Mr. Mokris,<br /><br />We were recently contacted by a fan of yours in regards to the July 9th post on your website declaring that you did not give us permission to feature your flash animation. First off, I apologize for the mixup, your flash was submitted to us via our upload form and our clearance dept's initial review led us to believe it was submitted by the original author. I have removed the animation from the system, although it may take a few hours for the changes to be reflected for all users. Once again, my apologies for the mixup, and keep up the good work, we are big fans of your animations!}}


== On television ==
{{cquote|There aren't any written rules or regulations. We're trying to do our due diligence and do the things that we feel are right by not taking other people's material without crediting them or contacting them first. We try to...we contact all these people. Like if we something we like, like a game, we don't just put it on our site . We contact these people. And if you notice with all our new Flash games, we have our own intro in them, and it's done by the creators and we pay them for that.}}
=== ''Right This Minute'' ===
eBaum's World had a weekly segment on ABC-Disney's '']'' called "Real or Fake" since July 2012. Each week longtime eBaum's World editor MacDreidel brings three video clips that are viewed, discussed and ultimately voted on by the show's hosts to determine if the video is a real viral video, or a staged fake.<ref>&nbsp;— ''Real or Fake''</ref>


=== Television series attempt ===
On ], ], several images from the Something Awful forums were displayed on the eBaum's World website. The images on eBaum's World were cropped to remove the Something Awful watermark. The page was removed later in the day following multiple complaints being expressed on the eBaum's World forums.
On January 24, 2006, ] made a deal with the ] to create a television program based on eBaum's World. Producers described it as a late-night companion special to air with '']'', featuring clips from the Web site, as well as new and exclusive content including interviews with former and current eBaum's World subjects. The show was to feature former ] Host ] of Unscrewed and professional wrestler ]. The show was being executive produced by Simon Andreae through his production company, The Incubator, in association with Fox Television Studios. The ] letters from this company were removed when this show was announced.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Legal – Grape Stomping Video|website=eBaum's World|url=http://www.ebaumsworld.com/grapefall-legal.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050303004436/http://www.ebaumsworld.com/grapefall-legal.html|date=2004-04-28|archive-date=2005-03-03|access-date=2019-04-21}}</ref>

Critics affirm that infringing content continues to appear on the website. ] has threatened legal action and claims that other websites have also asserted difficulties with Eric Bauman. On ], ], Steven Lerner of Albino Blacksheep explained that eBaum's World took the animation "Animator vs. Animation," and the creator of the Flash animation, Alan, would take legal action against eBaum's World. Steven Lerner and Alan used the to track who used the animation on their web sites. Lerner also explained that the Flash animation is legally protected under the ] of ]. Furthermore, when the flash was posted on eBaum's World, it had been decompiled and the line 'Hosted on albinoblacksheep.com' was removed. On ], Bauman sent Alan a $250 check as well as entering him into a $1000 "contest" in hopes of having any legal charges dropped. As well as dropping the legal charges, eBaum's World forced him to submit a pre-scripted quote stating that none of the site's content was stolen and that Bauman had contacted him previous to his content being posted on the site. Alan accepted this proposal, and later submitted this letter of apology to the flash community of Albino Blacksheep:

{{cquote|Hello, I am the author of Animator vs. Animation...

I feel so ashamed, and the world is ashamed of me.

I fell into eBaum's trap. I gave them fuel to fight back.

With their constant persuasion and offers for money, they made me write a quote saying that everything was fine. Of course everything was fine for me, because I had the money they had given me. What can you expect, I was dead poor before, I have no experience with business. The quote says they contacted me before they posted my animation on their website, however '''I did not give them permission to put it on.'''
}}
:''On ] 2006, eBaum's World removed the animation and the apology from Alan from their web site.''


==eBaum's World on television== === Web Soup ===
]'s television show '']'' partnered with eBaum's World for its popular "This Week in FAIL" segment for its third-season run.<ref>&nbsp;— ''eBaum's World Blog'' (released April 10, 2011)</ref>
On ], ], ] made a deal with the ] to create a television program based on eBaum's World. Producers intend it to be a late-night companion special to air with ] (WWE) '']'' featuring clips from the website as well as new and exclusive content including interviews with former and current eBaum's World subjects. The show is being executive produced by ] through his production company, ], in association with Fox Television Studios. The ] letters from this company were removed when this show was announced.


== See also ==
On ], ], a researcher named Bradley Scott from eBaum's World TV show contacted the webmaster of ], asking the webmaster to sign over the site's content while refusing to admit what show it was for. The producer of eBaum's World television show finally admitted who he was but did not directly acknowledge the content that appears on eBaum's World, including Albino Blacksheep's. The webmaster recorded samples of these calls for their message boards.
* ]


== References ==
As of June ], the show has not yet aired.
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
==Trivia==
* {{Official website}}
* The website was started as a project in Bauman's junior year of high school.
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602065041/http://www.smash.com/ |date=2017-06-02 }} – Bauman's successor site
* In 2005, Bauman had gained enough money from his website to sponsor a professional ]. He has also .


{{Literally Media}}
==External links==
* - Official Website
**
* - Site critical of eBaumsWorld.com.
* - Animator vs. Animation Controversy


] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]

Latest revision as of 11:05, 30 November 2024

Entertainment website

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eBaum's World
Type of siteEntertainment
HeadquartersBrooklyn, New York
OwnerLiterally Media
Founder(s)Eric Bauman
URLwww.ebaumsworld.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
Launched2001; 24 years ago (2001) (incorporated since December 3, 2002)

eBaum's World is an entertainment website owned by Literally Media. The site was founded in 2001 and features comedy content such as memes, viral videos, images, and other forms of Internet culture. Content is primarily user submitted in exchange for points through a monetary point system "eBones."

History of ownership

eBaum's World originated in Rochester, New York, featuring entertainment media such as videos, Adobe Flash cartoons, and web games. The site was created and owned by Eric "eBaum" Bauman and his father, Neil. In August 2007, eBaum's World was acquired by HandHeld Entertainment, also known as ZVUE Corporation, for $15 million up front, $2.5 million in HandHeld stock, and up to $52.5 million in cash and stock over 3 years.

On January 31, 2009, Bauman and the company's staff were terminated by ZVUE and the company moved to the San Francisco ZVUE offices. As of 2016, the Israel-based company Literally Media held a controlling stake of eBaum's World.

eBaum's World is owned and operated by Literally Media, which also owns Cheezburger, Know Your Meme, and Cracked.com.

Features

The site features individual celebrity soundboards, where users can click buttons to hear quotes or phrases spoken by the celebrity. There is a chat room, a store on which eBaum merchandise are put on sale and a section called Moron Mail featuring feedback sent in by users. The site also featured a message board, which existed until 2019. Bauman still operates a board created right after his termination by ZVUE. The forum was named sbaumsworld in tribute to Bauman's history at the eBaum's World.

Copyright infringement and controversy

eBaum's World has garnered controversy due to numerous incidents of content being taken from other sites (such as YTMND, Something Awful, Albino Blacksheep, 4chan, Olde English, Weebl's Stuff, and Newgrounds) without attribution. Companies such as Viacom have claimed that eBaum's World has infringed on their copyrights. The site denied critics' claims, citing research done by site editors and the consent form that must accompany uploads of material. eBaum's World claimed to honor all requests to remove unauthorized material.

Timeline

  • In 2003, Eric Bauman was threatened with legal action by corporations, citing unauthorized use of trademarked names or copyrighted material. One notable case involved the "soundboards" and the audio used within them.
  • In January 2006, an animated image titled "Lindsay Lohan Doesn't Change Facial Expressions" was lifted from YTMND.com and posted at eBaum's World with the latter site's watermark superimposed. The incident touched off a feud between the two sites, resulting in eBaum's World removing the animation.
  • On May 26, 2006, several images from the Something Awful forums were displayed on the eBaum's World website. The images on eBaum's World were cropped to remove the Something Awful watermark. The page was removed later in the day following multiple complaints being expressed on the eBaum's World forums. As a result, Something Awful switched to a more invasive watermark template.
  • On June 12, 2006, Steven Lerner of Albino Blacksheep explained that eBaum's World took the popular Flash animation "Animator vs. Animation", and the creator of the Flash animation, Alan Becker, would take legal action against eBaum's World. Albino Blacksheep has also threatened legal action and claims that other websites have also asserted difficulties with Eric Bauman. Lerner and Becker used the MochiBot Flash tracking tool to track who used the animation on their web sites. Lerner also explained that the Flash animation is legally protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Furthermore, when the Flash animation was posted on eBaum's World, it had been decompiled and the line "Hosted on albinoblacksheep.com" was removed. On June 9, Bauman sent Becker a $250 check as well as entering him into a monthly "contest" (of which Becker was the de facto winner) in hopes of having any legal charges dropped. Becker was also told to submit a pre-written statement claiming that none of eBaum's World's content was stolen, and that Bauman had contacted him prior to his content being posted on the site. Alan accepted this proposal, and later submitted this letter of apology to the Flash community of Albino Blacksheep:

Hello, I am the author of Animator vs. Animation ...

I feel so ashamed, and the world is ashamed of me.

I fell into eBaum's trap. I gave them fuel to fight back.

With their constant persuasion and offers for money, they made me write a quote saying that everything was fine. Of course everything was fine for me, because I had the money they had given me. What can you expect, I was dead poor before, I have no experience with business. The quote says they contacted me before they posted my animation on their website, however I did not give them permission to put it on.

On June 26, 2006, eBaum's World removed the animation and the apology from Becker from their web site.
  • On July 9, 2006, eBaum's World hosted an animation called "Dumb Dinosaur", originally found on Albino Blacksheep and Spinnerdisc.com. They subsequently removed the animation, and issued this apologetic statement to Drew Mokris, creator of Dumb Dinosaur:

Mr. Mokris,

We were recently contacted by a fan of yours in regards to the July 9th post on your website declaring that you did not give us permission to feature your flash animation. First off, I apologize for the mixup, your flash was submitted to us via our upload form and our clearance dept's initial review led us to believe it was submitted by the original author. I have removed the animation from the system, although it may take a few hours for the changes to be reflected for all users. Once again, my apologies for the mixup, and keep up the good work, we are big fans of your animations!

On television

Right This Minute

eBaum's World had a weekly segment on ABC-Disney's Right This Minute called "Real or Fake" since July 2012. Each week longtime eBaum's World editor MacDreidel brings three video clips that are viewed, discussed and ultimately voted on by the show's hosts to determine if the video is a real viral video, or a staged fake.

Television series attempt

On January 24, 2006, USA Network made a deal with the Fox Television Studios to create a television program based on eBaum's World. Producers described it as a late-night companion special to air with WWE Raw, featuring clips from the Web site, as well as new and exclusive content including interviews with former and current eBaum's World subjects. The show was to feature former TechTV Host Martin Sargent of Unscrewed and professional wrestler Chris Jericho. The show was being executive produced by Simon Andreae through his production company, The Incubator, in association with Fox Television Studios. The cease and desist letters from this company were removed when this show was announced.

Web Soup

G4's television show Web Soup partnered with eBaum's World for its popular "This Week in FAIL" segment for its third-season run.

See also

References

  1. Cashmore, Pete (August 2, 2007). "eBaum's World Sells for $17.5 Million". Mashable.
  2. Lerman, Rachel (April 21, 2016). "Cheezburger's new owner is Israeli digital-media company". Seattle Times.
  3. ^ "court TV becomes truTV". CourtTV.com. Archived from the original on 2003-03-06. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  4. "Funny Videos, Funny Pictures, Flash Games, Jokes". Ebaumsworld.com. 2009-12-13. Archived from the original on 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  5. "EBaum's World — YTMND wiki, explaining the Internets one article at a time". Wiki.ytmnd.com. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  6. "Mixed-up Movies". SomethingAwful.com. 2005-07-29. Archived from the original on 2006-11-11. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  7. "alanbecker on deviantART". AlanBecker.DeviantArt.com. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  8. "June 2006 | Archive". AlbinoBlackSheep.com. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  9.  — Real or Fake
  10. "Legal – Grape Stomping Video". eBaum's World. 2004-04-28. Archived from the original on 2005-03-03. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  11. WEBSOUP SEASON 3 THIS WEEK IN FAIL — eBaum's World Blog (released April 10, 2011)

External links

Literally Media
Websites
Categories: