YouTube, AllofMP3, Google Books: Money Can Buy You Lawyers
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Written By Kate Zimmermann | October 19, 2006 | Share This
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In a sly move that sailed just over the radar, YouTube offered Universal and Sony BMG small stakes in the company in the hours before signing with Google, to quell copyright lawsuits. While we all remember reading about the quick deal signing that preceeded the GooTube landmine, it was assumed that compensation would come from advertising revenue, not Google stock. Now, the NY Times reports that the agreements with Universal and Sony BMG may have been predicated on information of an impending Google deal, culminating in a collective $50 million buyoff.
This week, the buyoff appears to have paid off, since YouTube went unscathed in a round of law suits against video sharing websites. Grouper and Bolt, two popular user-generated video aggregators, both got sued for copyright infringement by Universal Music Group. Universal is seeking $150,000 in damages for each incidence. Even though Grouper was purchased by Sony earlier this year, it and Bolt could very easily be shut down if Universal wins.
Grouper and Bolt aren’t the only companies sabotaged by the music industry this week - Russia’s AllofMp3.com got bullied into oblivion after Visa and Mastercard, under pressure from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, stopped accepting payments from the site. Granted, AllofMp3’s questionable legality has been under fire for quite awhile. Paypal removed its services from the site last year, and just two weeks ago, Russia was threatened to be discluded from the WTO if it didn’t bring legal action against AllofMp3. Russian prosecuters claimed that it would be impossible shut down the site, but Visa, Mastercard, and the music companies have clearly proven otherwise.
Finally, a legal battle that’s been brewing for over two years came to the surface once again - a US District Judge has consolidated two Google Books cases into one, to “streamline the process”. This precedence could lead to a mass collection of similar cases, allowing for “just one discovery phase” and much faster results. Regardless, Search Engine Watch reports that the Authors Guild v. Google case has been postposed until Jan. 2008. Consolidated or not, a delay of any case means a ruling could still be years off - until which Google continue will run Book Search as normal.
Topics: Legal Issues |
i use allofmp3 more than 2 years and spent with them $200. also i found http://justmusicstore.com they are cheap and accept paypal.