YouTube unplugs Viacom

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US-based Viacom, a major cable television, movie, and media property operator, has demanded that YouTube remove a reported 100,000 clips from its online video service. The move comes just three months after Viacom partially relented in its demands and permitted YouTube to continue to carry some of its most popular online content, including shows from its Comedy Central cable television property.

YouTube has announced that it will comply with the request. "We have received a DMCA takedown request from Viacom, and we will comply with their request. We take copyright issues very seriously," a YouTube spokesperson said in a prepared e-mail statement. " It's unfortunate that Viacom will no longer be able to benefit from YouTube's passionate audience which has helped to promote many of Viacom's shows."

This latest exchange between YouTube and Viacom marks another milestone in a long saga between the pioneering video streaming service and large copyright-holding organisations. In October, YouTube forged a revenue-sharing agreement with CBS Corporation (until recently a corporate sibling of Viacom) to allow the publication of many of its properties on YouTube. On the other hand, YouTube also conceded to JASRAC, Japan's Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers, and agreed to pull tens of thousands of images and materials associated with JASRAC members. The company is also currently being compelled by a US court to release the names of uploaders of certain Fox television programmes.

Published reports indicate that Viacom acknowledged that negotiations continued with YouTube after the October thaw, but that the company believed YouTube and parent Google were not prepared to make a "fair market agreement" or install promised filtering tools to prohibit certain Viacom properties from being uploaded to the service.

A Viacom spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

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