EBaum's World: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:16, 20 February 2006

Latest revision as of 16:33, 31 May 2025

Line 1:

{{Short description|Entertainment website}}

{{lowercase|eBaum's World}}

{{pp-pc|small=yes}}

[[Image:ebw.JPG|thumb|200px|eBaum's World Logo.]]

{{pp-move}}

<!--{{TotallyDisputed}} (only by [[User:Mgunit]], an employee)-->

{{Multiple issues|{{Tone|date=January 2016}}

'''eBaum's World''' (subtitled "Media for the Masses") is a popular website featuring entertainment media such as [[video]]s, [[Macromedia Flash|Flash]] [[cartoon]]s and web games. It is highly controversial for many reasons, primarily due to claims that nearly all of the website's content is taken from other sources without permission and then rebranded with eBaum's World logo. The site, which is owned by [[Rochester, New York]] native '''Eric Bauman''', ranks in the top 500 [http://alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?q=&url=ebaumsworld.com] sites on the Internet according to [[Alexa_Internet|Alexa]].

{{Primary sources|date=April 2010}}}}

{{lowercaseLowercase title|eBaum's World}}

{{Infobox website

| name = eBaum's World

| url = {{URL|http://www.ebaumsworld.com/}}

| commercial = Yes

| location_city = Brooklyn, New York

| type = [[Entertainment]]

| registration = Optional

| owner = [http://literally.media/ Literally Media]

| founder = Eric Bauman

| launch_date = {{start date and age|2001}} ([[incorporation (business)|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."

==Features==

[[Image:Ebaumscreenshot.jpg|thumb|200px|Screenshot of main page.]]

The site features individual celebrity [[soundboard]]s, where users can press buttons to hear notable words or phrases spoken by that celebrity. By pressing certain buttons in a certain order, users can simulate the celebrities saying unusual things. In this way, the soundboards are commonly used to [[prank calls|prank phone call]] unsuspecting members of the general public. These calls are often recorded and subsequently re-submitted to the site. The site also offers a section called "Forum Fun", a set of multi-purpose images designed to be posted on [[Internet forum|forum]]s.

== History of ownership ==

There are also games and animations as well as a [[chatroom]] and a store which sells eBaum merchandise. Since the site receives many emails suggesting content to add, there is a section called "Moron Mail" for submissions that do not meet Bauman's standards. eBaum's World has a very large forum community, with thousands of members and over one million posts. In the forum there are areas to post pictures, videos, and high scores from games. Every Phriday, Bauman selects some of the forum content for display on the site's main page.

eBaum's World originated in [[Rochester, New York]], featuring entertainment media such as [[video]]s, [[Adobe Flash]] [[cartoon]]s, and [[browser game|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.<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>

==Controversy==

eBaum's World is owned and operated by Literally Media, which also owns [[I Can Has Cheezburger?|Cheezburger]], [[Know Your Meme]], and [[Cracked.com]].

eBaum's World has garnered significant controversy over the years due to numerous instances of content being taken from other sites, such as [[YTMND]] and [[Something Awful]], without permission. The site's [[favicon]] is taken from ''[[Peanut Butter Jelly Time]]'' and also used without permission. Other notable complainants include [[Viacom]], [http://www.courttv.com/news/cow/022603_prankcalls_ctv.html], [[20th Century Fox]], and [[Sega]].

== Features ==

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. [http://www.ebaumsworld.com/response-01-10-05.html] However, this is contested by content creators. In particular, web artist and animator [[Jonti_Picking|Weebl]] (of [[Badger Badger Badger]] fame) had his animations removed from eBaum's World during [[January]] [[2006]], but it took more than a year of requesting that it be done. [http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/santabadger.html] Bauman formerly claimed to have been working with Weebl [http://ebaumsworldsucks.com/chatlog.php], though Weebl's statements (''"Nothing on the planet would get me to work with him (Bauman) unless it involved saving a burning child from an aids filled orphanage"'' and ''"Eric Bauman is a liar whose business model is based on stealing the work of others in order to get content for pages he can advertise on"'') run contrary to Bauman's. [http://ebaumsworldsucks.com/archives/5-Examples-of-Eric-Baumans-hypocrisy-and-lies..html#extended]

The site features individual celebrity [[Soundboard (computer program)|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 [http://www.sbaumsworld.com/ sbaumsworld] in tribute to Bauman's history at the eBaum's World.

== Copyright infringement and controversy ==

The "submission page" itself is controversial. It does not require the submission of any information that could be considered uniquely identifying of original authorship. [http://upload.ebaumsworld.com/] Examples of such proof would be source files (such as [[Photoshop]] '''.psd''' files, or [[Macromedia Flash|Flash]] '''.fla''' files with their original layers and edit history intact).

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 (sketch comedy)|Olde English]], [[Jonti Picking|Weebl's Stuff]], and [[Newgrounds]]) without attribution. Companies such as [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]<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 ===

Critics assert that the language of the upload agreement casts significant doubt on the ability of users submitting content to meet all criteria. Notably,

* 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" />

<blockquote>''I hereby represent that I have obtained copies of release and consent forms from all individuals portrayed and performing in the Material which would allow me to grant to eBaum all rights set forth herein.''</blockquote>

* 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.<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 [[Digital watermarking|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.<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 [[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|''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:

{{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.

An example of material for which the above is doubtful is the Tiger Woods movie. [http://www.ebaumsworld.com/tigershot.html]

* 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:

In the past, Internet users claiming to be employees of eBaum's World have made spurious arguments regarding copyright law. <!--[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Azuretek.png]--> [http://ebaumsworldsucks.com/ebw.html]

{{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 ==

The video "Laserfart," created for the [[Channel101]] website, remains in the eBaum's World video section despite requests from the owner for its immediate removal. [http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/laserfart.html] This is notable because the video attracts a high volume of user hits, which translate into Internet advertisement revenue for eBaum's World.

=== ''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.<ref>[https://www.rightthisminute.com/videos/real-or-fake]&nbsp;— ''Real or Fake''</ref>

=== Television series attempt ===

[[Image:IpecacVideoComparison.jpg|left|thumb|Two identical videos side-by-side on Google Video. The original is on the right; the rebranded version from eBaum's World is on the left.]] Additionally, the credits that were originally part of the video were cut out of the eBaum's World version and replaced by an eBaum's World watermark at the bottom of the video. A search for "[[Syrup_of_ipecac|ipecac]]" on [[Google]] Video shows two videos: one from stileproject.com, and a "rewatermarked" version removing any mention of stileproject.com and replacing it with credits for ebaumsworld.com [http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=ipecac] (notice the clipping of the ebaumsworld.com version). This is an example of the "rebranding" commonly practiced by eBaum's World. In the past, the watermark simply read "ebaumsworld.com." The watermark has since been changed to "hosted on ebaumsworld.com", likely due to pressure from Bauman's critics.

On [[January 24]], [[2006]], [[USA Network]] struckmade a deal with the [[Fox 21 Television Studios|Fox Television Studios]] to create a showtelevision program based on eBaum's World. ItProducers is beingdescribed eyedit as a late-night companion special to air with [[WWE]] ''[[Monday NightWWE Raw]]''., It will featurefeaturing clips from the websiteWeb site, as well as new, and exclusive content, andincluding interviews with pastformer and newcurrent eBaum's World employeessubjects. The show iswas 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 describedfrom above,this includingcompany onewere fromremoved Foxwhen Televisionthis Stationsshow [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], were removed from the site around the time the deal was announced.|date=2004-04-28|archive-date=2005-03-03|access-date=2019-04-21}}</ref>

=== Web Soup ===

Similarly, a rebranded version of a commercial for the [[Pursuit Force]] video game is hosted on eBaum's World as well. [http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/copisinsane.html] All indications that the clip was created for a commercial product have been removed. Critics argue that this practice is intended to mislead visitors into thinking that the content they are viewing is an original creation of eBaum's World.

[[G4 (American TV network)|G4]]'s television show ''[[Web Soup]]'' partnered with eBaum's World for its popular "This Week in FAIL" segment for its third-season run.<ref>[http://www.ebaumsworld.com/user/blog/jfetus/view=81431435 WEBSOUP SEASON 3 THIS WEEK IN FAIL]&nbsp;— ''eBaum's World Blog'' (released April 10, 2011)</ref>

== See also ==

As of mid-January, 2006 Eric Bauman has discontinued his practice of proudly posting [[Cease and desist|cease-and-desist]] letters on his "Legal" page, though they can still be found at [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.ebaumsworld.com/legal.html web.archive.org]. Links remained on eBaum's [[GI Joe]] page until [[February]] of the same year. [http://www.ebaumsworld.com/gijoe.html]

* [[Viral video]]

== References ==

A [[Parody|parody]] web site, [http://ebaumsworldsucks.com eBaumsWorldSucks.com] (subtitled "Media for Dumbasses"), has been set up by [[Neil Cicierega]], Shawn (ALTF4) and Abi Rendon (LegalCondom who is a former contract employee of Eric, he wrote the eLinks and eNews sections of his website.) in order to document the ongoing controversy between content creators and eBaum's World. The site hosts a page containing statements from content creators whose works appear on eBaum's World without permission. The site also details several cases in which eBaum's World has leeched bandwidth and launched [[Denial of service|denial of service]] attacks on other sites.

{{Reflist}}

==TV showExternal links ==

* {{Official website}}

On [[January 24]], [[2006]], [[USA Network]] struck a deal with the [[Fox Television Studios]] to create a show based on eBaum's World. It is being eyed as a late-night companion special to air with [[WWE]] ''[[Monday Night Raw]]''. It will feature clips from the website as well as new, exclusive content, and interviews with past and new eBaum's World employees. The show is being executive produced by [[Simon Andreae]] through his production company, [[The Incubator]], in association with Fox Television Studios. The cease and desist letters described above, including one from Fox Television Stations [http://web.archive.org/web/20050303004436/http://www.ebaumsworld.com/grapefall-legal.html], were removed from the site around the time the deal was announced.

* [http://www.smash.com Smash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602065041/http://www.smash.com/ |date=2017-06-02 }} – Bauman's successor site

{{Literally Media}}

==Trivia==

*The website was started as a prank in Bauman's junior year of high school.

*In 2005, Bauman had gained enough money from his website to [http://www.ebaumsworld.com/rock-klitschko_title_nov12.pdf sponsor] a professional [[boxing|boxer]]. He has also [http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050205/BUSINESS/502050313&SearchID=73198753940248 purchased an $850,000 office building and a $150,000 home].

*The URLs [[Newgrounds|http://www.newgrounds.com]], [[Albino Blacksheep|http://www.albinoblacksheep.com]], and [[SomaForum|http://somaforum.com]] are censored from the eBaum's World Forums.

*In January 2006, [[Drew Curtis]] removed the ''eBaum's World'' link from [[Fark]]'s list of "Site Friends". [[Worth1000]] replaced its eBaum's World link with [http://ebaumsworldsucks.com/ eBaum's World Sucks.com].

[[Category:2001 establishments in New York (state)]]

==External links==

[[Category:ComedyBrowser-based game websites]]

* [http://www.ebaumsworld.com eBaum's World]

[[Category:American comedy websites]]

** [http://www.ebaumsworld.com/ebaumsworld-usanetwork.html eBaum's World TV show]

[[Category:Internet properties established in 2001]]

** [http://www.realitytvmagazine.com/blog/2006/01/usa_network_ann.html USA Network Announces Ebaum's World Reality Series]

[[Category:Works involved in plagiarism controversies]]

* [http://ebaumsworldsucks.com/ eBaum's World Sucks.com] - Features both an anti-Ebaum's cartoon and a detailed list of creators with grievances against Ebaum's.

[[Category:Comedy websites]]

[[Category:Intellectual property]]