YouTube has been sued by LA-based journalist and helicopter pilot Robert Tur, it emerged today. The beating of Reginald Denny, a trucker, during the 1992 Los Angeles riots was posted to the popular video-sharing site and received more than 1000 views (which is hilarious, because 1000 views is virtually nothing on YouTube). Hur, who shot the video, says that YouTube is "profiting from his work" and demands $150,000 per violation. The company has since removed the clip - however, they claim that Hur didn't ask them to take down the video before filing the lawsuit on Friday.
This is exactly what the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) is designed to protect against - if a user uploads copyrighted content to your site, your liability is limited. However, the lawyers are citing the Grokster ruling, which would require that YouTube induced the infringement - that might be complicated by the fact that YouTube is pursuing deals with content owners to provide legitimate material.
Is this cluelessness, greed, or a combination of both?
