Advertisement
Promo

Online business Toolkit

Google wins source-code ruling in Viacom lawsuit

Steven Musil CNET News

Published: 03 Jul 2008 15:07 BST

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendly
  • Post Comment

Google has scored a legal victory in keeping its search source code secret from Viacom, but YouTube users have not been so fortunate as regards their privacy.

A US federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the search giant does not have to turn over the code to Viacom, which filed a $1bn (£504m) copyright-infringement lawsuit against Google in 2007.

In granting Google's motion for a protective order, US district judge Louis L Stanton agreed with Google's characterisation of the source code as a trade secret that cannot be disclosed without risking the loss of business.

"YouTube and Google should not be made to place this vital asset in hazard merely to allay speculation," the judge said. "A plausible showing that YouTube and Google's denials are false, and that the search function can and has been used to discriminate in favour of infringing content, should be required before disclosure of so valuable and vulnerable an asset is compelled."

The judge also denied Viacom's motion for Google to produce source code for its Video Identification tool, which helps notify Google of copyright infringement.

However, the judge granted a Viacom motion that records of every video watched by YouTube users, as well as their login names and IP addresses, be turned over to the entertainment giant.

Read this

Feature
Analysis: Google's search for business customers

A tie-up with Saleforce.com sees Google pushing even further into Microsoft's business apps territory

Read more +

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called the ruling a threat to YouTube users' privacy.

"The court's order grants Viacom's request and erroneously ignores the protections of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, and threatens to expose deeply private information about what videos are watched by YouTube users," the EFF said in a statement.

At stake in the legal battle is a key part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the 1998 law that shields website owners from copyright infringement involving material published by users. The 'safe harbour' provision in the law can protect against infringement claims as long as copyrighted material is removed upon notification.

After the suit was filed, YouTube launched an anti-piracy tool that checks uploaded videos against the original content.

Credit: Google wins source code ruling against Viacom from CNET News

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendlyPrint with EPSON

Did you find this article useful?
1 out of 2 people found this useful


Full Talkback thread

0 comments

Company/Topic Alerts

Create a new alert from the list below:






Sentry Posts Blog

Motorola Droid Drops Today: Happy Droi...

Motorola Droid Drops Today: Happy Droid Day America! Author: Eric Everson, Mobile Security Expert If you’re wondering what all of the buzz is about with words like Droid and Android... More

Post a comment

Mobile Security Profile: BlackBerry St...

Mobile Security Profile: BlackBerry Storm2 Author: Eric Everson BlackBerry handsets are a staple of office culture; from syncing calendars to sharing business-related data,... More

Post a comment

South Korea plans to fingerprint visit...

The South Korean authorities could fingerprint and photograph foreign visitors from 2012, the Korea Times reported on Tuesday. Barring diplomats and government operatives, all visitors... More

Post a comment

Video icon

Video

Google Chrome

Roundup: Full coverage of Google Chrome

The search giant has launched a beta of its own open-source browser, sending a clear challenge to Microsoft in the way it lets users work with applications More

Blog: Google Chrome has Microsoft's code inside, says MS manager

And furthermore, he says, that's a good thing... More

Blog: Google Chrome — nine things we've found since launch

Google must be very happy with the coverage Chrome has gathered. But it's not all good news... More


Skip Sub Navigation Links to CNET Brand Links

Help

Become part of the ZDNet community.

Newsletters