According to a Reuters report, a ‘friend of the court’ briefing was placed by NBC Universal on the same day that the English Premier League decided to sue YouTube, as described in a previous iTWire report.

Reuters reports that Robert Tur sued YouTube last July, months before the Viacom lawsuit, over the “famous” footage that Tur captured of “trucker Reginald Denny being beaten during the 1992 Los Angeles riots”.

Tur’s footage appeared on YouTube, which caused Tur to sue. NBC Universal’s brief was in support of Tur and against YouTube, who is seeking to having Tur’s suit dismissed.

According to the brief, quoted by Reuters, NBC Universal says that: “Many of NBCU's most valuable copyrighted works have been copied, performed, and disseminated without authorization by YouTube and other similarly operated Websites. NBCU has a strong interest in preserving the strength and viability of all of its legal rights and remedies in response to such conduct.”

A further quote from the says brief that “YouTube actively manipulates and modifies the content in ways that the uploading user clearly does not, including copying, reformatting, and adapting the works... further disseminating them. In operating its own commercial Website, YouTube engages in activities that are reserved to the copyright holder.”

Although Google has made no comment on this latest legal action, Google’s general counsel, Kent Walker said in a statement concerning the English Premier League and referencing previous lawsuits (including Viacom’s) that: “These suits simply misunderstand the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which balances the rights of copyright holders against the need to protect Internet communications and content referring to the 1998 U.S. law governing the rights of content owners and Internet service providers. They threaten the way people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment, and political and artistic expression over the Internet”.

What we all await now, like a good YouTube video show, is the next chapter in what is proving to be must-see in the world of YouTube TV. {moscomment}