YouTube Copyright Infringement Legal Games Mount
The Google YouTube copyright legal games mount.
Just days ago copyright love was almost in the air in a Manhattan courtroom when the Google legal team asserted its intention to implemement “an efective technology fix” in the Fall so that multi billion dollar lawsuits for “masive copyright infringement” against YouTube would not materialize in the future.
REALLY? Philip Beck, attorney for Google, made such a claim before Judge Louis Stanton in U.S. District Court on July 27. At the time, I underscored that Google’s new found stated desire to proactively screen for unauthorized video uploads was in stark contradiction with its months long DMCA rules stance, copyright owners be damned.
Even though Google made its copyright friendly pronouncements in a court of law, I discounted the Google spiel as just that. The attorneys representing the parties suing Google, however, believed in Google, and the media overwhelming did as well.
The Associated Press reported: “Lawyers for plaintiffs in the two lawsuits said they welcomed any improvement that would end alleged infringement of their copyrights but believed YouTube should have acted sooner.”
Donald Verrilli, a lawyer representing Viacom in its $1 billion claim against Google YouTube:
Perhaps the filtering mechanism will help. If so, we’ll be very grateful for that.
Louis Solomon, an attorney with Proskauer Rose, the law firm prosecuting a class action against Google YouTube:
We encourage Google to come forward and do what other companies have already done and treat all the content providers fairly.
What a difference ten days and additional copyright infringement plaintiffs makes? Both defendant Google and class action prosecutor Proskauer Rose have taken up their DMCA and copyright infringement verbal swords once again, respectively.
The National Music Publishers Association is now part of the class action suit against Google for copyright infringement.
Google’s reaction harkens back to Google’s standard they need us more than we need them DMCA rules pitch : “Many song writers and music publishers view YouTube as a promising promotional platform for connecting with their fans. We are surprised and disappointed that the NMPA has elected to take this route.”
Proskauer Rose’s retort: “Their statement has no credibility because I don’t think it’s their business model.”
And let the YouTube copyright infringement legal games continue!
ALSO: Google Demands NBC Universal Spread YouTube Fair Use Gospel
PLUS: How Google Abuses DMCA, NOT Universal Music: Sorry EFF & ‘Mom’ and Eric Schmidt: Google Cures What Ails the World