Video is becoming an increasingly important communication tool on the web, but questions must be asked about its future, said speakers a recent conference. Will it be a medium of self-expression, available for all, or a translation of television to the internet, where content is provided by some and consumed by the rest? A gathering of technologists, academics, filmmakers and others in New York last week issued a call for a freer video culture.

Speakers at the 19-20 June event, taking place at New York University Law School and streamed live online (remixing encouraged), talked creative expression through the video medium, played favourite examples, and warned of intellectual property-related restrictions they say threaten to quash such expression.

The three questions to ask are: “Is the technology transparent and open? Can people participate in a meaningful way? Can they innovate and remix without permission?” said Mark Surman, executive director of Mozilla Foundation, which provides support for open source software projects including the web browser Firefox. For Mozilla, he added, “the answer to all three must be yes.”

Meanwhile, a few days earlier up the street at the Crowne Plaza in Times Square, advertisers and marketing experts talked advertisement money - or the lack thereof - in online video content at the 16 June OMMA Video event, hosted by publishing and content company MediaPost. That event’s live blog revealed nervousness on the part of key industry players over how the ad-supported model will survive online, as well as a lot of uncertainty about what new models can succeed as more and more content moves online.

Read more: Now Video Wants To Be Free And Open Too: IP Policy Considerations