Google acquired YouTube back in 2006 for a whopping $1.65 billion. This investment has been tested in a lawsuit brought against Google and YouTube by the TV and movie copyright owner Viacom. However, Google was granted some breathing room last Wednesday when the U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton for the Southern District of New York said YouTube wasn’t liable for infringement under the alleged violations stemming from the Copyright Act of 1976.
Back in March both Google and Viacom had asked the court for summary judgment rulings in their favor. Viacom argued that YouTube was financially benefitted by allowing users to post and share programs including “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and “South Park” on its website without authorization from Viacom (owner of these copyrighted materials).
In Viacom’s complaint, they clearly demonstrated to the court YouTube’s role in aiding and facilitating the direct infringement of Viacom’s copyrighted online content;
