Viacom Appeals YouTube Copyright Infringement Case

As expected, Viacom this week filed an appeal in its copyright infringement case against Google's YouTube.

Viacom on Monday filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, according to a brief court filing.

The move comes several weeks after a New York District Court ruled in favor of Google, and found that YouTube is protected by the safe harbor of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The case dates back to 2007, when Viacom sued YouTube for $1 billion. Viacom argued that YouTube facilitated the posting of copyrighted material. YouTube said it was not responsible provided YouTube complied with DMCA takedown notices, which it said it did. On June 23, a judge agreed and said YouTube has been compliant.

At the time, Viacom said it was disappointed but "confident we will win on appeal."

"It is and should be illegal for companies to build their businesses with creative material they have stolen from others," Viacom said.

Google, however, said the ruling was an important victory "for the billions of people around the world who use the web to communicate and share experiences with each other."

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Chloe Albanesius

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I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

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Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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