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Old 03-20-2009, 07:57 AM  
Paul Markham
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: On the sofa, watching TV or doing my jigsaws.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kane View Post
Yep the Viacom suit will define the future of Youtube and sites like it. If Viacom wins and is given a huge judgment Youtube will either have to adjust how it does business or close down. From what I understand Youtube and sites like it say they are just hosts and have no control over the content on it. Yet you never see porn on youtube so there must be some kind of filtering system in place that keeps it off the site. If Viacom can prove that youtube is controlling the content in any way then their DMCA safe harbor will be pretty much null and void and once Viacom wins every company or person who has stuff on youtube that they don't want there will be filing a suit. Youtube's legal bills could quickly outpace its bandwidth bills.
If Viacom lose will that be the end of it, or will it just start another suit on a different tact? They lose once they're screwed. The cigarette industry was sued many times before it started to lose.

Or am I wrong?

As for legal costs outpacing BW bills. They may already be there, ask people who have been through the US legal system.
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