Viacom Sues Google for $1B Over Copyright Infringement
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Viacom Inc., producer of “The Daily Show,” filed a $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube and its owner Google Inc. that would eliminate some of the most popular programming on the Internet’s biggest video-sharing site.
The complaint, filed in federal court in New York, alleges “massive intentional” copyright infringement, New York-based Viacom said yesterday in a statement.
Viacom, which had been in licensing talks with YouTube, escalated the dispute after failing to reach an agreement over the posting of almost 160,000 clips of shows such as “South Park” and “The Colbert Report.” The suit, which follows court challenges by News Corp. and producer Mark Cuban, is the most aggressive action so far against the video site.
“Viacom is taking a very strong stance,” an analyst at Barrington Research in Chicago, James Goss, said. “The issue is control over what you own. With the lawsuit, they want to draw a line in the sand.”
YouTube showed “brazen disregard” for copyright laws, Viacom said in the complaint, and has “deliberately chosen not to take reasonable precautions to deter the rampant infringement on its site.” The videos were viewed more than 1.5 billion times, Viacom said.
Google said it hasn’t received the lawsuit. “YouTube has respected the legal rights,” the company said in a statement. Google and YouTube “believe the courts will agree.”
