The lawsuit you saw coming from a mile away just pulled into the station. Media conglomerate Viacom said it would sue Google and its Internet video-sharing Web site YouTube for more than $1 billion.
The lawsuit, filed in a New York City federal court, accuses Google and YouTube of “massive intentional copyright infringement.” It seeks more than $1 billion in damages and an injunction against future violations.
Read the lawsuit here, or check out some choice excerpts:
- “YouTube has deliberately withheld the application of available copyright protection measures in order to coerce rights holders to grant it licenses on favorable terms.”
The complaint argues that YouTube enables its users to instantly post copies of videos from popular Comedy Central Program “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” to Nickelodeon children’s shows “SpongeBob Squarepants” and “Dora the Explorer.”
- “YouTube has the right and ability to control the massive infringement on its site… The infringement is being committed on YouTube’s own website, which (the) defendants control, not on other Websites controlled by others.”
- “YouTube proactively reviews and removes pornographic videos from its library, but refuses to do the same thing for videos that obviously infringe plaintiffs’ copyrights.”
Should YouTube be allowed to post TV show clips? Is YouTube violating Viacom’s copyrights? Should YouTube be forced to take down these videos? Should Viacom settle, and maybe strike a deal with YouTube?
How will this shake out? Send us your comments.
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this is crap, google is the best commpany in the world and the only one who has a chance on takin on microsoft in real head to head fight and i hope they win, and u want google to get sewed no they need all the money they have to realse good office products and in the future realse the best OS
- Posted by wyattRay is right, legislation is the only answer. I am so glad the american government stepped in and made spam illegal. That’s why you hardly see any of it anymore. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go clean out my inbox.
- Posted by CharlesThis is a logical step in the evolution of the internet. Just as the recording industry had to fight to impede “piracy” and illegal copying, Viacom will win this suit, and limit the sources from which sites like YouTube can glean their content.
- Posted by RayThe long range effect will be to introduce more stability into a relatively unregulated internet by mean of an Adam Smith like “invisible hand”, introducing legislation as needed.