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Viacom Looks For Google Staff Uploads in YouTube Logs

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the behold-the-data dept.

Barence writes "Viacom wants to know which YouTube videos have been uploaded by members of Google's staff, in what could be a potentially explosive aspect of its copyright infringement claim against the search giant."

3 of 308 comments (clear)

  1. Re:common sense by OscarBlock · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think Google should check to see if any of Viacom's staff have been uploading videos while they are at it. Could be interesting...

  2. Re:Right... by pin0chet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I agree that YouTube is an excellent way to popularize Viacom's content, but that's not the only business concern of relevance here.

    Viacom wants to use YouTube-esque short clips of its videos as a revenue source. And, if Google's employees are uploading infringing content, then YouTube may be actively hampering Viacom's ability to earn ad revenue from its original works. Comedy Central, for example, offers years of Daily Show, Colbert Report, and South Park clips that are supported by ads. YouTube is likely limiting Viacom's ability to capitalize on its intellectual property by substituting for Viacom's in-house video service. That is textbook copyright infringement.

  3. Re:Pointless... by pieterh · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Totally unscientific survey: my 4-year old daughter prefers to browse YouTube than television. Admittedly she tends to follow pop videos. But she prefers the mouse to the TV remote.

    If it's true that people use YouTube to watch clips from TV programs, then Viacom are even stupider than I thought...

    But stupid or not, this seems to be the start of the TV industry joining the music and movie and telecoms businesses in attacking the open Internet.

    I wonder what kind of Internet my daughter will have when she grows up.

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