Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) has asserted that media conglomerate Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit against the company "threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment and political and artistic expression," according to claims made by the company's lawyers in federal court in Manhattan, the Associated Press reported. Google maintains that YouTube should not be held liable for what its users post, and should be protected under the same "safe harbor" provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that applies to ISPs.

It also says that YouTube "goes far beyond its legal obligations in assisting content owners to protect their works," diligently responding to proper complaints under the to remove copyrighted content when notified.

For its part, Viacom said it found over 150,000 unauthorized clips of its content on YouTube, including bits of "South Park," "MTV Unplugged" and the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," the latter of which claims more than 1.5 billion views.

Poll: Does Viacom's YouTube Lawsuit Threaten 'Net Freedom?

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/2axbb (AP)

http://snipurl.com/2axbi (Ars Technica)