Google’s Response To Viacom Lawsuit

March 15th, 2007

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 is the legal standard defining U.S. copyright law on the Internet. It limits liability for firms that act quickly to block access to pirated materials once they are notified by copyright holders of specific infringement.

Google will use the DMCA as its primary line of defense in the lawsuit filed by Viacom for copyright infringement by YouTube. Google’s legal team are confident that their defense will hold up in court, as similar precedents with Ebay and Amazon were looked upon favourably by the U.S. courts.

Moreover, Google has historically won most court cases where companies, individual groups or public bodies tried to limit content displayed on the search results. The odds are stacked in Google’s favour, but if Viacom flex their legal muscle and build a solid case, this lawsuit could spell disaster for YouTube.

Tags: accuracast, search, news