Coming Attractions: Viacom - YouTube - Google Smackdown
This was widely predicted as a consequence of Google’s acquisition of YouTube. If you combine a website that allegedly engages in “massive intentional copyright infringement” with the deep pockets of one of America’s largest companies, you’re asking for lawsuits. From the AP:
MTV owner Viacom Inc. sued the popular video-sharing site YouTube and its corporate parent, Google Inc., on Tuesday, seeking more than $1 billion in damages on claims of widespread copyright infringement.Viacom claims that YouTube has displayed more than 160,000 unauthorized video clips from its cable networks, which also include Comedy Central, VH1 and Nickelodeon.
As noted by the WSJ Law Blog, Viacom is represented by Jenner & Block in DC. We’re curious to find out who gets tapped by Google for defense. We’re looking forward to an interesting fight — which, in addition to supplying entertainment value, will hopefully also clarify the proper operation of copyright law in cyberspace.
Viacom Sues YouTube Over Copyrights [Associated Press]
Viacom Sues Google and You Tube [WSJ Law Blog]
(10) Comments
Comments
maybe Simpson? They have good copywright litigators and represented google in the YouTube acquisition.
This is all well and good but could someone please see if there's anything going on with Brokeback law Firm? Anything on the docket?
S&C's responses are due on Thursday, I believe. Don't think there's anything else going on until then.
Could someone check the docket and tell us for sure?! Lat?
i wish it were going to be a smackdown. sadly, it will probably either settle before trial, like the "iphone" dispute, or the trial court verdict will get eviscerated on appeal, like the microsoft antitrust case.
Mini me went to a tier 2.
Put Jenner into whatever tier you'd like, but the firm is no joke. The American Lawyer named the firm one of the top 5 litigation firms in the country last year; it successfully represented Ronald Perelman in the Coleman case against Morgan Stanley, winning Perelman $1.6 billion; and the two partners on the case both clerked for the Supreme Court and all of the associated clerked on the federal courts of appeal. And no, I don't work for Jenner.
But Jenner DC is primarily an appellate shop - it'll be interesting to see if they can play ball at the trial level. And the Perelman victory was handed to the Chicago office on a silver platter after K&E got benchslapped with a discovery sanction.
Having been adverse to Jenner in trial matters, I can vouch for their competency. And I used to work for K&E (although not on the Perelman matter, as I left K&E many moons ago). Never dealt with Jenner's D.C. office, but I'm sure the people there are no slouches.
In any event, the case is going to settle. If not, YouTube will get slammed. Lawsuit is just pressure to help Viacom close the deal it has been working to get for months now. I'm just surprised that it took this long for YouTube to get sued.
I don't understand - who was calling into question the competence or skill of Jenner?