On July 7, Michael Bautista captured a video on his cellphone from the scene of the shooting in Dallas, Texas, that left five police officers dead. Within 24 hours, the three-minute video was purchased by ViralHog LLC, a Montana-based startup, and anyone, including the media, would need to pay a licensing fee to use it or be subject to a copyright infringement claim.
The monetization of viral videos has been gaining traction as startup companies, such as ViralHog or Jukin Media Inc., acquire video and capitalize on its popularity. While initially those videos featured cute animals and unfortunate flops, there has been a slight shift in direction at the companies as police and civilian violence has been increasingly caught on film.
