Journalist is the main attraction in a YouTube Scandal

Robert Tur is a journalist in Los Angeles who has participated in unusual actions such as rescuing individuals stranded in a hotel by flying a helicopter through winds as fast as 55 miles an hour.

When you have mettle like that, nothing should be able to scare you. Here is hoping that proves the case here.

Robert Tur is filing a lawsuit accusing YouTube of copyright infringement, claiming that they posted a video that he shot of the Los Angeles without his permission. Interestingly, this is not the first time that he has attacked companies due to copyright charges; he has also sued companies such as Reuters and CBS for the same reasons.

His distinction as the first journalist to challenge YouTube places him in a complex legal web that includes Viacom, NBC Universal, and Google. When this lawsuit became public, he was immediately joined in his efforts by NBC Universal and Viacom, who are expressing concern over the outcome of his lawsuit, as they have also filed motions against the company. This concern also stems against the notion that victory in this case would weaken copyright holders against YouTube.

Russell Frakman, speaking on behalf of NBC Universal and Viacom, made it clear that the result of this case “could have strong ramifications for owners and distributors of video content.”

In response to these actions, YouTube claims that it is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and believes that these actions simply miscontrue the Act’s interpretation. Kent Walker, the general counsel for Google, who has since purchased YouTube, said that “this provision simply balances the rights of copyright holders against the goals of protecting Internet communication.”

While the odds may appear stacked against Tur, he refuses to back down from this challenge, saying that “I am not an individual who cuts and runs; my heart is in the right place. This is about our livelihood, since we lose money if we can’t protect our property.”

For more information, Read [CNET News]

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