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Google to Viacom - The Law is Clear, and On Our Side
An anonymous reader writes "Google responded to the opinion piece in the Washington Post by a Viacom Lawyer with a letter to the editor titled 'An End Run on Copyright Law.' Their strong wording sends a very concrete message: 'Viacom is attempting to rewrite established copyright law through a baseless lawsuit. In February, after negotiations broke down, Viacom requested that YouTube take down more than 100,000 videos. We did so immediately, working through a weekend. Viacom later withdrew some of those requests, apparently realizing that those videos were not infringing, after all. Though Viacom seems unable to determine what constitutes infringing content, its lawyers believe that we should have the responsibility and ability to do it for them. Fortunately, the law is clear, and on our side.'"
If there's one thing you can say for Google, they know how to stand up for sane copyright law.
There will be no sanity until it is abolished.
What?
So you want the feds to break down YOUR door, arrest YOU and possibly get a FALSE statement out of you so you could get some sleep or so they would stop waterboarding you just because somebody (your kid, or the kid next door that uses your internet, or just because of some mistake by your provider because you just switched IP's and their clocks were 10 seconds of) uploaded a funny piece of The Tonight Show to their YouTube account?
There is a reason MPAA/RIAA tries to do it in court. It's because they don't have a case and they know it, if they did, the feds would already have been all over it (that's why the legal note when the movie starts: FBI/NSA/Interpol warning not to copy this file) and they have been over cases which are actually clear.
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
The Google CEO and other executives need to focus on meeting very clear laws of the land related to use of commercial videos, and not instant translations yet. Reduction and adjustment of scope of business is what the shareholders of Google really want to create a stable company. It is inexcusable to see quotes and any time spent by a company on new stuff when they keep burning a handful of United States Government entities. Google Executives need to instead come full stop and prove to its board of directors that it is going to remove and address the widespread, chronic and gross use of essentially Pirated Movies to gain business advantages (REF: see www.peekvid.com and see now the hundreds of feature movies that remain stored on Google and YouTube servers in parts). Those videos were brought to the attentions of Google over 6 months ago by concerned business competitors who didn't see that as fair. They should make friends and build relationships with content owners and seek permission before keeping the feeds out there. Why is Eric, Larry and Sergey so lazy in that regard to normal thinking and business processes.... traditional thinking and laws and normal ways of behavior and laws......, yet messing with new fields into instant translations,..... when someone should be arrested, indicted & possibility going to prison. Does the FBI warnings on those videos just a bunch of chumps only trying to scare you? If the executives like Eric or Larry are confused or concerned, maybe someone should read them.
If the world is a world is laws, then the law demands infringement and evidence of those videos as of 3/28/2007 eventually be looked into.
I think this is a problem that revolves around the illusion one can become an icon, famous or popular on the Internet with millions of fans, and just about get away with murder and stomp over laws, legal protections and principles that make the world under those principles a much safer, happier, wealthier place...... I think these business approaches Google uses are very bad influence to anyone considering copy cat approaches. Not to mention it is wrong, illegal and criminal inspiring. Young business people growing up and the citizens which use Google stuff out there will remember, will see, and will be negatively influenced. Even if no further actions are taken, the negative influence is the cancer out there. That cancer can grow or be removed based on the actions CEO's like Eric and decision makers like Larry take. I think if the Government was telling me to stop today, or change my behavior on something related to business activities I would listen instead of 'pushing back'.
Hopefully the Viacom suit will make them understand. I am sure it will not be long before someone in the government notices those videos out there and sets the example of what happens when you do that. I am sure Viacom would much rather be able to choose when, how and if they will distribute movies like those they own on peekvid.com stored on Google Inc. property.