The federal case between Viacom and YouTube is about to get serious. Secret, and probably embarrassing, documents are to be released soon by the federal judge overseeing the case. Both Viacom and YouTube may benefit from the release of the documents, as it may allow the case to be settled out of court. Unfortunately, the move will probably create bad press for both companies when their dirty secrets are handed over to the press.
Probably most anticipated from the released documents will be information on how YouTube dealt with copyright infringement before it was acquired by Google in 2006. Viacom has accused YouTube of turning a blind eye towards illegally posted material in hopes that it would bring more traffic to the site. YouTube, on the other hand, says there was no way for them to know whether the material was being leaked by owners as a viral marketing scheme unless they were contacted about the infringement. They claim that, whenever a company reported infringed material, the video was promptly taken down.
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Spotted by: Rachel |
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