Nerd News Roundup – 2.16.09

- The Pirate Bay's trial starts today over in Stockholm, Sweden. Authorities have been attempting to shut down the torrent portal for years to no avail - one way or another, this may settle things once and for all. Interestingly enough, a lot of what TPB is being sued for has been adopted as standard - or semi-standard - practice by the very companies involved in the lawsuit. Digital piracy, it's a tricky business.

- In today's Lack Of Video Killed The Video Star news, MTV's announced that moving forward, they are killing their open API and their embeddable video players will no longer play video on outside websites. Instead, any files that are "embedded? in the future, and probably those already embedded, will simply give readers a list of thumbnails and title links that can be clicked on, taking them to the horrible MTV websites.

- Or is all of that wrong, posted by an overzealous MTV employee? Tech Crunch has the following quote from MTV upper management: "All of our online video is and will remain embeddable for end users, just like Hulu. That includes music videos, clips and full-episode content across MTV.com, VH1.com, ComedyCentral.com and our entire Web portfolio.The only thing we’re pulling back is fully open access to our music video API, and it’s purely an issue of economics."

- Disney's launched DisneyXD.com, a boy-targeted website full of overdone Flash interfaces, because "guys like us need a place to chill." It's loaded with video clips, commercials, games and the requisite social platforming tropes like avatars, profiles, etc. Also: It Is Very Loud, so don't visit it while in your cubicle.

- "Stretch Armstrong" is looking to join Candyland and Monopoly in making the transition from the toy store to the big screen. No stars are attached, but the dude who wrote "Bruce Almighty" is slated to write it. Parse that information as you see fit - we won't think any less of you either way.