According to the now-famous children’s father in the clip, the viral YouTube video Charlie Bit Me, sold for £ 536,000 as a Non-fungible token (NFT), will not be removed from the streaming service.
Howard Davies-Carr uploaded a heartwarming 55-second video of his two sons, three-year-old Harry and one-year-old Charlie, to YouTube in May 2007.
This clip helped us get started with the concept of viral video, one of the most watched movies to date, watched by 884 million people, and continues to grow.
On Saturday, the video was auctioned as an NFT and sold for around £ 536,000 ($ 761,000).
But Howard has now confirmed that his beloved clip, which celebrated its 14th anniversary earlier this month, will remain on YouTube.
“After the auction, we contacted the buyer, who decided to leave the video on YouTube,” the father of two sons in the clip told Quartz.
Famous video Harry and Baby Charlie. When Howard Davies-Carr uploaded a 55-second video to YouTube in May 2007, he believed it was just “a little funny.”
Harry, center left, Charlie, center right, with parents Howard and Sherry
“Buyers felt that video was an important part of popular culture and should not be removed.
Not only will it be recorded as an NFT on the blockchain, but it will be published on YouTube so that the public can continue to enjoy it.
NFTs serve as proof of authenticity for digital assets such as art and sports souvenirs. This is a unit of digital data that is a unique fingerprint of video.
They are currently in vogue in the art world, with one bidder paying £ 50m for digital photography of an artist named Beeple earlier this year.
Howard said it was encouraging to admit that the buyer, who looks like a music studio in Dubai under the name 3fmusic, understands the value of the video and leaves it on YouTube for everyone to enjoy.
“After 14 years on YouTube, I felt that NFTs would bring new life to the history of the Internet,” he said.
“I’ve always told my sons beyond this fame that they’re more than a video.”
The father said most of the money raised from the sale would go to men’s colleges, but some would go to carbon offset charities.
In the clip, Harry can be seen sitting happily with his brother Charlie on his lap-until the two brothers make a playful nip with one of his brother’s fingers.
Harry sees an interesting side, gently scolds his brother and gives him the opportunity to put his finger in his mouth and try again.
This time Charlie cracks down, and Harry’s protest screams, “Charlie, it really hurts,” and his brother smiles unrepentantly.
Talking about the video for the 2015 news round, the brothers said: This video was originally shot for the family to send to the Godfather in the United States.
Harry said on a children’s television show that he found the video interesting. “It makes me laugh.”
Charlie said he didn’t find it embarrassing, but said, “I think it’s a bit strange for many to see it.”
The videos uploaded by their father were viewed more often than Taylor Swift, One Direction, and even Adele. It was too big to email.
But after being featured on an American television show, it became a phenomenon on the Internet.
As of 2012, the family earned £ 100,000 from the clip and used it to educate their children.
Their parents have since earned thousands of pounds from the advertising and sponsorship deals behind the clips.
Howard said at the time, “I just wanted to share it with the boys’ Godfather, so I just got a clip. I was naive about YouTube as a whole.
“It became viral and when it happened there was nothing I could do. People sent me nice comments and messages. Now every 6 weeks I have a new video of the boys. I’m uploading.