Content Owner Sues Video Hosts

Dawn C. Chmielewski reported in the LA Times that Universal Music Group has filed suit against two video hosting sites, Grouper and Bolt, in an effort to stem unlicensed use of copyright protected material. If you've visited any of the video sites, you have probably seen the multitudes of amatuer videos made by folks imitating their favorite artists, and yes, people also upload content recorded straight from music television. Universal Sues Video Sharing Websites explores the potential business ramifications, especially given the new YouTube/Google merger. Our own Peter Jaszi, co-director of the Center's Fair Use work, is quoted, "the implications for this for the future of the Internet are potentially much broader. There's all kinds of Web hosting that could be affected by this."