Viacom Sues Google and YouTube
“Viacom is taking a very strong stance,” said James Goss, an analyst at Barrington Research in Chicago who has an “outperform” rating on Viacom. “The issue is control over what you own. With the lawsuit, they want to draw a line in the sand as the whole process develops.”
Viacom said YouTube users have posted unauthorized clips of shows, which also include Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” and MTV’s “MTV Unplugged.” The snippets have been viewed 1.5 billion times, Viacom said.
YouTube showed “brazen disregard” for copyright, Viacom said in the suit, and has “deliberately chosen not to take reasonable precautions to deter the rampant infringement on its site.”
Google said it hasn’t received the lawsuit. “YouTube has respected the legal rights of copyright holders and believe the courts will agree,” the company said in a statement.
