TOM CRUISE - REDSTONE FAVORS CRACKDOWN ON PIRACY -- INCLUDING YOUTUBE

Media mogul Sumner Redstone used the Seoul Digital Forum as a platform to renew his call on Asian countries to crack down on video piracy. In a keynote speech Monday Redstone said that he was "increasingly preaching to the converted" as he watched governments taking a more active interest in copyright issues "if only to protect their own homegrown content." Later, however, he took a swipe at U.S. website YouTube, which Viacom has sued for $1 billion for copyright infringement. "We cannot tolerate any form of piracy by anyone, including YouTube," he said. He repeated the oft-disputed claim that movie pirates cost his industry more than $20 billion a year. Speaking with reporters later, Redstone, who ousted Tom Cruise's production company from the Paramount lot two years ago because the actor's "conduct has not been acceptable" while promoting the latest Mission: Impossible movie, said he would not interfere if Paramount wants to sign Cruise to make another film. "I consider Tom Cruise a great actor and a good friend, and if Paramount decides to go ahead with him, I will not object," Redstone said.

06/05/2008