Google must divulge YouTube log

[leedwards2005]

I saw this news flash a couple of days ago .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7488009.stm

Queries :

1) What would that entail for viewers of Youtube vids ?


2) What does this mean for members & non-members of Youtube alike ?

3) I can understand the copyright issue , but if copyright infringement has been established , would Youtube be forced to shutdown ?


4) Some vids on youtube are home movies , would they also be under the same scrutiny ?

[abbraxis]

I'm still confused why Viacom needs this information. What jurisdiction do they have? What impending threat do they combat now that they know what users look for? WTF was the court thinking when they made their ruling?

WTF IS GOING ON?!?!?!?!?!?!

[TheMM]

Originally Posted by abbraxis

I'm still confused why Viacom needs this information. What jurisdiction do they have? What impending threat do they combat now that they know what users look for? WTF was the court thinking when they made their ruling?

WTF IS GOING ON?!?!?!?!?!?!

There ain't no threat. Viacom just wants all of our IP addresses and the search results on Youtube so they can sue the whole lot of us for viewing "their" things. And as for the court's ruling, it was the normal stuff, overpaid lawyers bribing the judges (and/or perhaps the jury) to rule in their favor, and also bribing any witnesses to make Viacom look like the victim.

In other words.....Business as usual!!

[agreatguy6]

If I recall, Viacom may own a lot, but not most of the companies that produce the sort of movies many of us watch.

SO, while they might can sue us for watching Matlock reruns, it's doubtful watching too much Naruto will put you before the supreme court.

or at least, that's what I gather :/ i certainly hope anime wouldn't put me b4 the supreme court >< T_T

[leedwards2005]

Originally Posted by agreatguy6

If I recall, Viacom may own a lot, but not most of the companies that produce the sort of movies many of us watch.

SO, while they might can sue us for watching Matlock reruns, it's doubtful watching too much Naruto will put you before the supreme court.

or at least, that's what I gather :/ i certainly hope anime wouldn't put me b4 the supreme court >< T_T

I have a cousin abroad who likes to watch Naruto . Should he be worried ? He is not a Yourube member , however , he likes to watch tv episodes --- a mix of anime & deleted scenes from movies .


He says the home movies are the best .

[chocomus]

Originally Posted by leedwards2005

I have a cousin abroad who likes to watch Naruto . Should he be worried ? He is not a Yourube member , however , he likes to watch tv episodes --- a mix of anime & deleted scenes from movies .


He says the home movies are the best .

I watch naruto and other anime there and I'm a member of youtube. I don't get any of what's happening

[mlbjock]

As owner of potential copyrighted work posted to YouTube they have the right to obtain this information in pursuit of their lawsuit. Essential by introducing a filter to help stave off liability claims they opened themselves up to this level of attack.

I'd guess that Viacom is trying to prove that more users of YouTube are viewing their work vs. stuff they don't own, and thus YouTube is more of a conduit for transferring illegal content. If Google can't shut it down then they can become liable, since they have demonstrated the ability to filter.

The court is following the law. The real problem is that as Google continues to record more and more of their users habits they are opening them up to theses kinds of issues. I personally lay this entirely at Google's feet. Their arrogant attitude towards the privacy of their users is rather ridiculous. And I'm not talking about their legal fight to not reveal it, that's more for their protection than their users'. I'm referring to the fact that they keep this data at all for their own purposes. Having it at all opens it up to being revealed, and Google is not required to keep it for any extended time; they chose to.

For those of you who asked if you should be worried, the answer is not really. If you have viewed a protected work that is not owned by Viacom then there is definitely nothing to worry about. In the US, the copyright holder(or agent) must pursue a case. And if it was a Viacom work you are small potatoes if Viacom can get Google, besides the damages for viewing a few clip of something would likely be too small to make it worthwhile.

[Digibacker]

Viacom only wants the logs to determine how many people have viewed Viacom-owned materials. Their suit is against Google, not the people who may have watched these videos. Thus, Viacom does not want or need any personally identifiable information, and they are working with Google to obtain the logs with this information stripped out.

http://www.viacom.com/news/Pages/Via...uTubeData.aspx

[chimewolf]

All the "what is watched" lists can show trends of popularity, thus showing what to be a pissant over and what to kick off TV. What ever will make them more money with less real effort.
Consumer information gathering just another step in taking over the world.

[Username3]

3) I can understand the copyright issue , but if copyright infringement has been established , would Youtube be forced to shutdown ?

[COLOR=lime]They have made it very clear, that they'll get rid of any stolen video if they find out that it's been stolen.[/COLOR]


4) Some vids on youtube are home movies , would they also be under the same scrutiny ?

[COLOR=lime]Duh! You wouldn't want people to put you as a little fat kid from 20 years agor on their account[/COLOR]

[abbraxis]

Originally Posted by mlbjock

The real problem is that as Google continues to record more and more of their users habits they are opening them up to theses kinds of issues. I personally lay this entirely at Google's feet.

...

I'm referring to the fact that they keep this data at all for their own purposes. Having it at all opens it up to being revealed, and Google is not required to keep it for any extended time; they chose to.

The reason Google is such a great search engine is because it records the search habits of the people that use it. Recording this information is EXACTLY what makes Google so great.

But what are they recording, exactly?

They're recording what you search for and where you eventually go so that future searches are better at bringing to the public what they wanted. Adaptive software records these habits and implements them into the next search.

They're not recording ISP adresses or why you're going to a particular site. They're just watching what you type and where you go, establishing a link between the 2 to make things easier for people in the future. It's a bit like the way your brain might tie a certain memory to a particular smell. The next time you smell that smell, your brain instantly thinks of the coresponding memory.

It's all pretty cool.

But what I'm saying is this isn't Google's fault. This is Viacom overstepping it's authority and presuming that this is the only solution.