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Information Technology News Google ordered to disclose users' identities
Information Technology News Google ordered to disclose users' identities | Google ordered to disclose users' identities |
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| by Stephen Withers | |
| Friday, 09 March 2007 | |
  
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Recent similar actions involving Google include News Corp's hunt for the people that posted episodes of "24" and "The Simpsons" on YouTube. And last year, at Magnolia's request a court ordered Google to remove "Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room" from Google Video. Google officials have made no comment, other than to confirm the company has received the subpoena. In his blog, Magnolia co-owner Mark Cuban likened Google to the RIAA. "The RIAA has always taken the route of intimidation. It has used its financial muscle to go after individuals they know can't fight them. They used the law to put entrepreneurs out of business and scare kids, parents and even grandparents." How does that relate to Google? "Google is doing the exact same thing. They aren't suing individuals and trying to collect money from them. Instead they are pushing the cost of doing business legally on copyright owners, 99pct of whom are tiny and can't afford to protect themselves." Cuban's observation that "They [Google] feel they have the legal right to tell every person who makes a living based on their creative efforts that they have to do business the Gootube way and if you don't like it, sue us," was similar to comments subsequently made by Microsoft counsel Thomas Rubin in a speech to the Association of American Publishers: "Google takes the position that everything may be freely copied unless the copyright owner notifies Google and tells it to stop... Since YouTube's inception, television companies, movie studios and record labels have all complained that the site knowingly tolerates piracy. In the face of YouTube's refusal to take any effective action, copyright owners have now been forced to resort to litigation. And Google has yet to come up with a plan to restrain the massive infringements on YouTube."{moscomment} |
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