THE SUER IS SUED

Three Internet activist groups have sued Viacom, charging that it improperly forced YouTube to delete a clip from Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. MoveOn.org, Civic Action, and Brave New Films claimed that posting of the clip was protected under "fair use" rules of copyright law. Earlier this month, Viacom, the parent company of Comedy Central, demanded that YouTube remove 150,000 clips of shows and movies for which it holds the copyrights and sued the website for $1 billion. However, a Viacom attorney, Michael Fricklas, responded to the suit by denying that the company had asked that the clip be removed. The Associated Press quoted from a letter that Fricklas sent to the plaintiffs, saying "Viacom has no problem with your client's continued use of [the clip] on its website or on YouTube."

23/03/2007