How can Viacom sue Google for Youtube content?
Last month they were asked to remove more than 100,000 clips from it’s site, so obviously the talks have been going on for awhile to get to this point of a lawsuit. They found an additional 50,000 clips in violation after that, too. It’s really no different than the Napster stuff a few years ago. All those clips that people post from tv and movies is copyrighted material that belongs to someone. It doesn’t matter if they are giving it away free; they cannot make electronic copies of copyrighted work. It’s pretty simple. If they give it away, they are depriving the owner the income that they could have had if they had sold it to the recipient; which then goes up the chain to the actors and directors and best boys and key grips who don’t get paid any residuals…and why should anyone legally buy them if they know they can just get them on YouTube? Other companies, like the BBC and NBC, have reached deals with Youtube to have some clips available there. So eventually Viacom probably will,
