Forum Moderators: goodroi
A German court ruled today that Google-owned YouTube is solely responsible for the content that users upload and post on the video-sharing website, a decision that could have massive implications for the company.
YouTube could be forced to pay royalties to those whose music copyright was infringed upon. It was also ordered to install word-based filters to bolster its existing filtering system to prevent further infringement of copyrighted work.
YouTube said during the case that it should not be held responsible for the content its users upload. YouTube said it has state-of-the-art copyright filters which detect and remove infringing content from the site. It also warns users that they are infringing copyright. It said during earlier proceedings that it blocks content when users and rights holders alert the company over infringing content.
Millions of music videos could be affected, and Google could ultimately end up having to fork out vast sums back to the music industry as a result of this landmark case.
Compliance with the law is not optional for individuals or corporates in Either Europe or USA
Compliance with the law is not optional for individuals or corporates in Either Europe or USA
Agree but if someone buys a car and uses it to rob a bank do you hold the car manufacturer responsible or the individual?
The rights of the content owners do not trump those of society. The RIAA and the MPAA have a long history of trying to stifle and outright ban technology that *may* infringe on their content. If it was up to them you wouldn't be able to purchase video recording devices or MP3 players. It's because of their actions that standalone CD players that can record are not commonplace. This is just something else to add to the long list of things they have attempted to stop to protect their archaic business model.
