Safe Harbor (YouTube) Wins Another Round
Copyfight 2013-04-22
Summary:
As I noted almost a year ago, the Second Circuit had remanded back down part of the previous YouTube victory for further exploration at the trial level. Earlier, in 2010, YouTube had established that it was a safe harbor-protected entity; the remaining question was whether the service had followed the practices required by the law. YouTube had both to show that it did not have immediate knowledge of infringing material and that once it was notified it acted promptly to remove material that was claimed to be infringing. YouTube has now prevailed on both these points.
I haven't yet read Judge Stanton's opinion this time around, but the fact that it was only 24 pages indicates that he found what the TV lawyers call an "open and shut" case. Had there been complexities or nuances the Judge likely would have issued a lengthier ruling so his reasoning could be reviewed by the higher courts to which Viacom is sure to appeal. Sadly, Viacom has already stated their intention to re-appeal this. We can only hope that the 2nd Circuit will slap them down again and maybe finally they'll decide it's better to spend their money on developing better business models than on massive lawyer fees.