Viacom is demanding $ XNUMX billion
In another lawsuit, Google’s lawyers fear freedom of online communication, while Viacom wants to set an example.
The $ XNUMX billion copyright lawsuit against Youtube, in which the service provider is accused of not taking strong enough action against unauthorized posting of protected material on its own site, is a serious threat to freedom of communication on the Internet. Hundreds of millions of people share information on the Internet from whom they want to take away this opportunity, say lawyers for Google, the owner of Youtube.
The statement was made in the wake of another Viacom lawsuit in which Youtube is accused of trampling copyright into mud in a Manhattan court. The relationship between Viacom and the video sharer has been outraged since last year, when Viacom demanded huge damages for hosting its copyrighted material without permission. They claim they are entitled to compensation for allowing millions of users to watch MTV, Comedy Central and other channels, including the popular Daily Show with John Stewart, for free without their consent.
According to Google's statement delivered to a judge, "Youtube goes far beyond its legal obligation to help creators legally protect their intellectual products. Viacom's intention to make service providers responsible for the activities of users endangers the right of hundreds of millions to exchange information, to be entertained, to take an artistic and political position, and to express themselves."
Google said Youtube remained faithful to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, which states that Youtube and a similar company will be protected as long as they respond appropriately and expeditiously to complaints of copyright infringement.
Viacom says Google is setting a bad example: it tolerates and even supports allowing millions of people to watch illegal copies of popular TV shows. More than 150 unauthorized broadcasts were found on Youtube, including parts of SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park and MTV Unplugged, as well as An Inconvenient Truth, which reached a staggering XNUMX billion views. on the Youtube page.
According to Viacom, the films they counted are only a fraction of the material illegally hosted by YouTube. They claim that YouTube and Google have done nothing, or almost nothing, to stop the ongoing infringement. "On the contrary, the abundance of illegal material on the site is an important part of their business plan," Viacom said.
