Viacom’s $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube “threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information” over the Web, YouTube parent Google said in a legal response to the suit. The response, reported by the Associated Press, was filed late Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Google says the threat comes from Viacom’s attempt to make “carriers and hosting providers” liable for what people post. Google, by the way, has said this suit will only be resolved in court. Viacom originally filed its lawsuit last year and filed an amended version last month. In the more recent version, the AP reported, Viacom said video-sharing site YouTube consistently allows popular, copyrighted material to be posted to its site, including from Viacom-owned MTV and Comedy Central.

Viacom said that it has identified more than 150,000 unauthorized clips on YouTube that had been viewed “an astounding 1.5 billion times” and that the site has done “little or nothing” to stop the copyright infringement, the AP reported. “The availability on the YouTube site of a vast library of the copyrighted works of plaintiffs and others is the cornerstone of defendants’ business plan,” Viacom said, according to the AP. Google, in its response, said YouTube “goes far beyond its legal obligations in assisting content owners to protect their works.” Google added that YouTube has faithfully followed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and responded to claims of infringement.

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why does evryone cry about shit like this?!?!?!? Greed boy, its a muthafucka ain't it.............
When will they realize that their war on piracy and infringement is no different from the war on drugs and the war on terror. It is something that will NEVER end, EVER...................

SUpA...

Thats the point. The War on Drugs and the War on Terror arent supposed to end. Its not that they wont, but as long as they spin it as a WAR on an external enemy, they can direct focus to those efforts, and take the scrutiny away from other internal failings we have as a country and as a society.

If you take the bad guy away, the MPAA and RIAA then don't have near as much reason for existance. They HAVE to keep the bad guy, at the forefront. Odd survival path, wouldn't you say?

Nicely said Yes...

As long as there is tolerance for anything, there will be a war declared on it, but in name only. You want to end illegal immigration, put some serious forfeiture teeth in the law. You hire and illegal, we take your business and sell it to someone that doesn't break the law. You rent your apartment to illegals, we take your entire complex...

The war on drugs? How about a three strikes rule for habitual users, who after all, are keeping the business going. Third strike and you get sent to Alaska and are further restricted from entering the rest of the US...not in chains either, the cold bleak weather is punishment enough. Why warehouse these idiots that are a drain on both their families and society.

Don't declare war and spend my hard earned money, unless you are prepared to do whatever it takes to win.

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