…clearly, Viacom’s takedown orders were not enough. The process of negotiation-by-lawsuit has begun.
WSJ, Slashdot, Seeking Alpha (Henry Blodget), more Seeking Alpha
And here’s Google’s emailed PR response:
“We have not received the lawsuit but are confident that YouTube has respected the legal rights of copyright holders and believe the courts will agree. YouTube is great for users and offers real opportunities to rights holders: the opportunity to interact with users; to promote their content to a young and growing audience; and to tap into the online advertising market. We will certainly not let this suit become a distraction to the continuing growth and strong performance of YouTube and its ability to attract more users, more traffic and build a stronger community.”
And an updated statement from Google, attributed to Kent Walker, general counsel
“YouTube has become even more popular since we took down Viacom’s material. We think that’s a testament to the draw of the user-generated content on YouTube. We’ve been very successful forging thousands of successful partnerships with content owners — like Warner Music, Sony/BMG, Universal Music, BBC, and the NBA — interested in finding new audiences for their programming. These partnerships offer the YouTube community access to some of the best content in the world, ranging from entertainment and sports to politics and news. And we’re only getting started.”
And ResourceShelf has the actual complaint here.
