April 25th, 2007
Google's YouTube is DMCA takedown culprit, NOT Viacom
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EEF) is having a good week, rallying support for a Viacom slap on the wrist cum slap on the back in the YouTube takedown notices affair.
"Case Studies in Fair Use Abuse," New Tee Vee, and "YouTube is Not a Crime," Compiler, are representative blogosphere trumpeting of a perceived humbling of Viacom by the EFF, its withdrawl of a lawsuit targeting a Viacom DMCA takedown notice to YouTube, citing:
Viacom's willingness to take steps to protect the free speech rights of those who post videos to YouTube…Viacom moved the ball forward for Internet users' rights, in order to address any similarly erroneous takedown notices in the future…
Just as the EFF has come to Google's "constitutional" defense to insure that the corporate powerhouse may continue to sell its golden AdWords (Google defends capitalism: $10 billion AdWords biz), the EFF is giddy over its reinforcement of the no-need to-pay-for-others' content $1.65 billion YouTube "business" model:
"This new endorsement of Internet users' rights is a victory for the little guy," said Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Civic Action. "Online sites like YouTube have revolutionized political expression and can give the little guy an audience of millions for a political point of view. A corporate powerhouse like Viacom must not be allowed to erase political content or muzzle political expression."
The Viacom "corporate powerhouse," must be put in its (bad) place, but the Google "corporate powerhouse" must remain in its rightful (good) place, in the EFF's lawsuit book.
Nevertheless, "Following these practices will not curb all DMCA copyright abuse," noted EFF attorney Corynne McSherry.
Right, BUT a Google YouTube renouncement of a for-its-own-profit corporate hiding behind a DMCA, fair-use, percieved shield from liability due to "massive copyright infringement" would.
Viacom's supposed bad DMCA takedown deeds are merely defensive ones, necessitated by Google's offensive, unauthorized profiteering from the video property owned by others.
Will Google follow Viacom’s lead? I asked Monday, and cease DMCA game playing?
It was, of course, a rhetorical question. After all, just days before, Google CEO upholds YouTube copyright infringing business model, I underscored.
ALSO: YouTube: Why Google is running scared
