The latest news and developments in the Internet Television and IPTV industry
Viacom’s $1 billion lawsuit against Google over copyright infringement on YouTube is coming to a head, with a court battle likely to ensue sometime this year. For now, the accusations made by both sides have been released. And they pull no punches whatsoever.
A Brief History Lesson
Viacom Vs Google can be traced right back to May 2005 before YouTube was under the protective wing of Google. A clip from Paramount Pictures’ Twin Towers was uploaded to the site, and Viacom demanded to know who the uploader was.
In October 2006 YouTube made a deal with Viacom to syndicate content. Then Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion. February 2007 saw Viacom retract the previous deal and pull everything off the site.
March 2007 saw Viacom sue Google for 63,000 counts of copyright infringement, for which it was seeking $1 billion in damages. Google argues that YouTube is protected under the Safe Harbor provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
BetaNews has the full timeline with many more twists and turns. But it all builds to this point when Google and Viacom’s documents pertaining to the court case have been released. And they make for interesting reading, to say the least.

Google looks set to venture into the living room with Google TV, an Android-based set-top box capable of delivering the best of the Web (and online video) to your television set. And it’s partnered with Sony and Intel to make Google TV happen.
The U.K. is suddenly awash with online video services vying for attention. And there promises to be even more on the way. Following on from the full launch of SeeSaw, the MSN Video Player has launched after a lengthy period in beta. And it has improved considerably.
How much do you know about video marketing? The chances are very little, unless it’s your business to know. Which is where EyeView comes in. And the company has created a quiz which both tests and educates on the subject.
ComScore has released its viewing figures for online video during January 2010. And the results aren’t positive on a month by month basis, although year on year figures are better. The big losers this time around are Hulu and Vevo.
The 2010 Academy Awards are being held tonight, and Avatar and The Hurt Locker are the front-runners for the coveted ‘Best Picture’ Oscar. But both are beaten by District 9, at least if the number of downloaded torrents is the deciding factor.