Google vs. Viacom

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which has been discussed at various points throughout the semester, has recently played a key role in the ongoing legal battle between major companies Google and Viacom. Viacom’s claim is that Google is guilty of copyright infringement, with Youtube.com containing clips of many Viacom shows that were posted without permission. It seems however that Google has won a major victory in this struggle, for a U.S. District Judge has ruled that the “safe harbor” provisions of the Copyright Act protects Youtube videos in this circumstance. It is unclear if the issue is finally settled once and for all, but it seems that, for the time being, Google has the upper hand in this drawn-out power struggle.

http://business.time.com/2013/04/19/how-google-beat-viacom-in-the-landmark-youtube-copyright-case-again/

One thought on “Google vs. Viacom

  1. Shannon Moran Post author

    It seems that this case directly deals with the legal issues that documentary filmmakers face when certain shots include clips of copyrighted material. If Google, a huge corporation, is not forced to pay for copyright infringement, why should independent documentary filmmakers?

    Reply

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