Viacom Sues Google over Web 2.0 Copyright Infringement
As if to highlight the difficulties faced by handling copyright in the new content publishing frontiers of the Web, and especially Web 2.0, Viacom – the owner of MTV and US cable favourite Comedy Central – is suing Google and its subsidiary Youtube for US$1.3 Billion over copyright infringement1.
A recent article in the New York times reports that Google is unperturbed by Viacom’s move, which apparently comes after the breakdown of discussions between the old-line media company and Youtube over prospective licensing deals1.
Beyond reporting that Viacom are citing massive copyright infringement, the article in the New York Times does not discuss details of Google’s view, whatever that is. How the new media delivery mechanisms of Youtube render copyright ambiguous is thus unclear1. Perhaps it is fair to speculate, however, that the outcome of the struggle will affect how Web 2.0 is done from then on.
References and Further Reading
Richard Siklos-" Viacom Tells YouTube: Hands Off " New York Times 16th March 2007, sec technology
