Microsoft takes on the free world (CNN) [LWN.net]

Microsoft takes on the free world (CNN)

Posted May 14, 2007 11:59 UTC (Mon) by NigelK (guest, #42083)
In reply to: Microsoft takes on the free world (CNN) by briangmaddox
Parent article: Microsoft takes on the free world (CNN)

My bad, Viacom it is. And, yes, some of Viacom's behaviour stinks, but I don't think GooTube is whiter-than-white here, either. This case really is two pigs fighting in the mud and, IMHO, could go either way - both sides make good points.

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Microsoft takes on the free world (CNN)

Posted May 14, 2007 20:31 UTC (Mon) by hummassa (subscriber, #307) [Link]

I'm sorry, but I think you are wrong:

> some of Viacom's behaviour stinks, but I don't think GooTube is
> whiter-than-white here, either. This case really is two pigs fighting
> in the mud

no, GooTube is whiter-than-white alright. why? because they are only the
enablers of a _whole_ _awful_ _lot_ of video-communications. Suing them
because some user put up one of Viacom's films is like suing the phone
company if I connect my answering machine to my CD player and put it to
play Metallica. In the latter case, Metallica should/could sue _me_ for
the unauthorized public performance of their work; in the former, Viacom
should/could sue _the_ _user_ for the unauthorized public performance (or
copy) of their work. But GooTube has *absolutely* *nothing* to do with
it. The work of policing all of GooTube to see if users are not
infringing my copyrights is _my_ work, not GooTube's. Period. Once I see
someone doing something murky, I alert GooTube and they put the offending
video down at once. So, yes, they are whiter than white.