In Large Class Action Copyright Action Against YouTube and Google, Class Action Status is Denied

The Football Association Premier League Limited, et al. v. YouTube, Inc. et al., 1:07-cv-03582.   The plaintiff sought to hold Google liable for millions of works available on YouTube without authorization from the copyright owners.   In this and similar actions, Google maintains that it is protected by the “safe harbor” provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Judge Stanton called the action a “Frankenstein monster posing as a class action,” finding the class was too large and the interests were too disparate: “Plaintiffs offer no explanation of how the worldwide members of this proposed class are to be identified, how they are to prove copyright ownership by themselves or by their authorized agent, or how they will establish that defendants became aware of the specific video clips which allegedly infringed each of the potentially tens of thousands of musical compositions incorporated into specific videos.”   Read the decision here: The Football Association Premier League v. Google (Mark) For informational purposes only.  Not legal advice.]]]]> ]]>