E-Commerce Blog

Viacom and Google have agreed to keep the personal information of YouTube users private, even as Viacom gears up for the next stage of litigation in its copyright infringement lawsuit against Google. Google will provide user data to Viacom, but redact information that can be used to make personal identifications. The agreement was forged after Judge Louis Stanton ruled that Google had to hand over the personal viewing records of YouTube visitors — including login IDs, the videos they watched, and the time they watched them.

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Google, Viacom Hammer Out Privacy Terms in YouTube Case

A new ruling in Viacom’s $1 billion lawsuit against Google has privacy advocates fretting that the case may further erode privacy online, even if it’s eventually settled. Judge Louis Stanton of the U.S. District Court for Southern New York ruled that Google must provide Viacom with information from its database, including users’ YouTube login IDs, the videos they watched, and the time they watched them. Viacom wants the data in order to rebut Google’s claim that user traffic to copyrighted content on YouTube is just a small part of the site’s overall traffic.

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Court Gives Viacom Window on YouTube User Activities

The patchwork system of digital commerce laws adopted in recent years is showing signs of wear as Viacom’s $1 billion suit against Google moves forward. Last year, Viacom filed its complaint in a U.S. District Court, alleging that Google owed it damages for purloined content that had made its way onto the popular video-sharing Web site. By insisting on a content-sharing crackdown, Viacom “threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment and political and artistic expression,” Google maintains.

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Viacom v. Google Wends Its Way Through Legal Fog

Entertainment conglomerate Viacom, riding a wave of success from a video game launch and a strong showing by its television enterprises, reported a 33 percent increase in first-quarter profit Friday. Viacom, which owns the Nickelodeon, MTV and BET networks as well as moviemaker Paramount, reported earnings of $270 million, or 42 cents per share, from January through March. A year ago, the company earned $203 million, or 29 cents a share, during the same quarter.

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‘Rock Band’ Helps Drum Up 33 Percent Profit Growth for Viacom