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Anorak News | English Premier League Sues YouTube: Use A Tape

English Premier League Sues YouTube: Use A Tape

by | 5th, May 2007

HAVING paid a fortune for the rights to broadcast Premier League football the last thing a big media player wants is for viewers to get the stuff for free on YouTube.

The combined TV, radio and internet rights to show live games and highlights over the next three years was sold for £2.7bn.

Now the Premier League, along with sheet music publisher Bourne Co., has filed a class action suit against YouTube. The Premier League is suing YouTube. This comes on top fo the £500 million suit brought by Viacom, which alleges YouTube allows it shows to be broadcast.

Says the Premier League’s action: “Defendants which own and operate YouTube have knowingly misappropriated and exploited this valuable property for their own gain without payment or licence to the owners of the intellectual property.”

There can be no doubt that lots of video on YouTube is in breach of copyright. But YouTube is an innovator and may come up with an innovative way out of this.

Football fans just want to watch the sport, preferably for free. And – whisper it – but someone should tell the keepers of the Premier Laegue flame that you can TAPE football off the telly.

Good luck with that court case, lads…



Posted: 5th, May 2007 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink