Viacom to sue youtube for $1 billion in damages

skid · Post by **skid** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:58 pm

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070313/nytu068.html?.v=72

NEW YORK, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA - News and VIA.B - News) today announced that it has sued YouTube and Google in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for massive intentional copyright infringement of Viacom's entertainment properties. The suit seeks more than $1 billion in damages, as well as an injunction prohibiting Google and YouTube from further copyright infringement. The complaint contends that almost 160,000 unauthorized clips of Viacom's programming have been available on YouTube and that these clips had been viewed more than 1.5 billion times.

Here's the actual suit

In connection with the filing, Viacom released the following statement:

"YouTube is a significant, for-profit organization that has built a
lucrative business out of exploiting the devotion of fans to others'
creative works in order to enrich itself and its corporate parent
Google. Their business model, which is based on building traffic and
selling advertising off of unlicensed content, is clearly illegal and is
in obvious conflict with copyright laws. In fact, YouTube's strategy
has been to avoid taking proactive steps to curtail the infringement on
its site, thus generating significant traffic and revenues for itself
while shifting the entire burden - and high cost - of monitoring YouTube
onto the victims of its infringement.

This behavior stands in stark contrast to the actions of other
significant distributors, who have recognized the fair value of
entertainment content and have concluded agreements to make content
legally available to their customers around the world.

There is no question that YouTube and Google are continuing to take the
fruit of our efforts without permission and destroying enormous value in
the process. This is value that rightfully belongs to the writers,
directors and talent who create it and companies like Viacom that have
invested to make possible this innovation and creativity.

After a great deal of unproductive negotiation, and remedial efforts by
ourselves and other copyright holders, YouTube continues in its unlawful
business model. Therefore, we must turn to the courts to prevent Google
and YouTube from continuing to steal value from artists and to obtain
compensation for the significant damage they have caused."

Funny Hat Man · Post by **Funny Hat Man** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:11 pm

Dicks.

skid · Post by **skid** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:14 pm

They removed all of their videos around the time that that whole Mencia deal happened, saying thanks youtube, but we'll host our own videos.
Fuck Vivacom. MTV needs to die, even if it means taking comedy central along with it. Xfire sucks now anyways.

NIPPER · Post by **NIPPER** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:41 pm

There is no question that YouTube and Google are continuing to take the
fruit of our efforts without permission and destroying enormous value in
the process. This is value that rightfully belongs to the writers,
directors and talent who create it and companies like Viacom that have
invested to make possible this innovation and creativity.

They have a point.

Lobsters · Post by **Lobsters** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:19 pm

skid wrote:They removed all of their videos around the time that that whole Mencia deal happened, saying thanks youtube, but we'll host our own videos.
Fuck Vivacom. MTV needs to die, even if it means taking comedy central along with it. Xfire sucks now anyways.

Agreed.

Cowboy Nastyman · Post by **Cowboy Nastyman** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:23 pm

viacom not vivacom

skid · Post by **skid** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:25 pm

UGH, fine.

TodPunk · Post by **TodPunk** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:08 pm

NIPPER wrote:
There is no question that YouTube and Google are continuing to take the
fruit of our efforts without permission and destroying enormous value in
the process. This is value that rightfully belongs to the writers,
directors and talent who create it and companies like Viacom that have
invested to make possible this innovation and creativity.
They have a point.

I'm SO glad someone said this.

I do have to say that this could easily just be seen as making money of of hosting things in a convenient place that users would host anyways. For instance, I have the Citroen C4 commercials (where the car transforms and dances) on my website. I don't think it's copyright infringement. Youtube is a grey area because they're making money specifically on this convenience.

*shrug* it's an interesting thing, and something I think neither side is acting progressively on. Youtube doesn't even keep users from uploading OTHER USERS' content, so their model isn't a replacement for the dying model of Television/movies. It's just anarchy with ads.

WOZZA · Post by **WOZZA** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:36 pm

It wont stop people putting things on the net though. And anyway whats the difference between them putting it on youtube etc than on other website, P2P apps etc?

They can sue each other but then all thats going to happen is someone else will do it. And since youtube isnt really moderated much anyone seems to be able to load anything up there.

And C4 ads are cool.. But im biased as i drive one. Still not found the robot button in my own yet though

renesis · Post by **renesis** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:31 am

They didn't give a shit about it a couple of years ago but now that YouTube is making so much money they are going to try and get some of it.

There needs to be drastic reform in the sharing of information and media. The internet has changed so much and technology is advancing to fast that no government body can keep with it all.

Delinquent · Post by **Delinquent** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:39 am

that's how it always works ren.

and I hope they lose, no they don't have a point. it's time they learned that they're service is no longer needed, and that information is becoming free.

/.Delinquent

Moogle · Post by **Moogle** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:37 am

I love these big American lawsuits, they are so melodramatic

I'M GONNA SUE YOU FOR A BAZILLION MILLION DOLLARS MAN !

bugzbunny · Post by **bugzbunny** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:22 pm

i highly doubt they are loosing money from the 3-5 sec clips from shows or the FUCKING COMMERCIALS that are on youtube, the only way that they might loose money is if they are full length clips of shows with the commercials removed. they are just being greedy

Moogle · Post by **Moogle** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:58 pm

Anything to try and make a quick buck I guess. On the most part though, YouTube and Google Video have always deleted content that was copyrighted. If anything, they should be suing the people who uploaded the content on a case by case basis. That would take too much time and money however, so they will try and take the easy option....

So to conclude, Viacom are a bunch of douchebags...

Delinquent · Post by **Delinquent** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:40 pm

Viacom isn't suing over the commercials, they're more in for the music videos and even homemade videos to music (remember those guys singing to backstreet boys?) yea, that's what they want taken off, for no reason other than it's a way to get the music...

not.

/.Delinquent