Google Refuses to Hand Over Employee Data

Data dump includes users' names and IP addresses

(NEWSER) - A judge has ordered Google to give Viacom records of all videos ever watched on YouTube, including users’ names and IP addresses, Wired reports. Viacom is seeking the data to bolster its $1 billion lawsuit against Google for allowing copyrighted Viacom clips on YouTube. The media giant believes the data will show that copyrighted clips draw more views than user-created content. More»

Accusations fly in YouTube copyright-infringement showdown

(NEWSER) - Viacom secretly uploaded video clips of its shows to YouTube and then launched a $1 billion copyright-infringement suit over those same clips, according to Google's lawyers. Google claims the company, seeking to promote shows like South Park, hired over a dozen marketing agencies to upload the clips, making sure they were "roughed up" so they looked like they had been uploaded by fans. More»

Join sports leagues and other aggrieved parties in class-action suit

(NEWSER) - Apparently YouTube forgot to make a deal for the music and lyrics played on its website, or so claims a music publishers’ association that has joined a growing copyright lawsuit aimed at Google, the site's owner, ars technica reports. YouTube, which did agree to share ad revenue with four major music labels, continues to remove copyright-violating videos when asked and plans to install a new filtering system by fall. More»

(NEWSER) - Viacom filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google yesterday for what it says is gross copyright infringement on YouTube, the company's newest acquisition. Google has promised to work with companies to remove copyrighted material, but Viacom complains that illegally posted clips of its programs like "The Daily Show" have been watched on YouTube “an astounding 1.5 billion times.” More»

YouTube visitor data will be 'anonymized' before release

(NEWSER) - In a deal reached last night, Google has agreed to hand over YouTube user data Viacom had demanded in its copyright lawsuit, but only after replacing user names and IP addresses with unique substitutes to protect users’ privacy, the Wall Street Journal reports. The move will allow Viacom and other plaintiffs to explore statistics without learning who’s viewing what. More»