NewsDude
07-30-2008, 10:00 PM
YouTube, the popular video-sharing Web site, and its owner, Google, are being sued for allegedly distributing nearly 5,000 copies of programming owned by a Milan, Italy-based company.
After conducting a survey of videos on YouTube, Mediaset said it found 4,643 copies of its programming, equaling 325 hours of video, on the Web site.
Mediaset, which owns three Italian television networks and is controlled by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, is claiming that the videos break copyright laws. The media company also said that, based on the number of video clips and hits generated, it lost 315,700 broadcasting days. Mediaset did not say how much ad revenue was lost, but said it is seeking 550 million Euros (US$856.27 million) in damages.
YouTube responded to the allegations by saying that the Web site takes copyright allegations very seriously, and adding that there is no reason for legal action. In the past, YouTube has said it not only prohibits users from uploading infringing material, but works with copyright holders to find and remove infringing content.
Not the First Time
This is not the first time YouTube and Google have been sued for copyright infringement.
In March 2007, Viacom Inc. filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google. The media giant, which owns Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, MTV and other businesses, claimed that 160,000 unauthorized Viacom video clips were viewed 1.5 billion times on YouTube. Viacom sought an injunction blocking Google and YouTube from any additional infringement. The case is not expected to be heard in court until next year.
Gestevision Telecino, a division of Mediaset, also sued YouTube for copyright infringement. Gestevision took the case to Spain's national commercial court in February despite YouTube's attempts to have the case heard in the U.S. In that case, YouTube said its users, not YouTube, are responsible for copyright breaches.
Besides Viacom, Gestevision and...
More... (http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61063)
After conducting a survey of videos on YouTube, Mediaset said it found 4,643 copies of its programming, equaling 325 hours of video, on the Web site.
Mediaset, which owns three Italian television networks and is controlled by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, is claiming that the videos break copyright laws. The media company also said that, based on the number of video clips and hits generated, it lost 315,700 broadcasting days. Mediaset did not say how much ad revenue was lost, but said it is seeking 550 million Euros (US$856.27 million) in damages.
YouTube responded to the allegations by saying that the Web site takes copyright allegations very seriously, and adding that there is no reason for legal action. In the past, YouTube has said it not only prohibits users from uploading infringing material, but works with copyright holders to find and remove infringing content.
Not the First Time
This is not the first time YouTube and Google have been sued for copyright infringement.
In March 2007, Viacom Inc. filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google. The media giant, which owns Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, MTV and other businesses, claimed that 160,000 unauthorized Viacom video clips were viewed 1.5 billion times on YouTube. Viacom sought an injunction blocking Google and YouTube from any additional infringement. The case is not expected to be heard in court until next year.
Gestevision Telecino, a division of Mediaset, also sued YouTube for copyright infringement. Gestevision took the case to Spain's national commercial court in February despite YouTube's attempts to have the case heard in the U.S. In that case, YouTube said its users, not YouTube, are responsible for copyright breaches.
Besides Viacom, Gestevision and...
More... (http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61063)