Viacom has asked for records of which Google employees have used YouTube.
Google balked over the issue of turning over information that would include data about videos employees watched or uploaded to YouTube, according to the sources. If Chad Hurley, one of YouTube’s co-founders, uploaded a copyright video or viewed them, Viacom’s lawyers believe they have a right to know about it, the sources said.
Google may have a tougher time with this issue than the fight to protect user information. Companies sue each other all the time and frequently turn over computer records belonging to employees when pertinent. Often, these records reveal e-mails, memos, and other documents that can shed light on events in question.
YouTube’s employee information could prove crucial to Viacom’s case against Google, as it could go a long way to proving how much knowledge YouTube has about piracy on the site. If YouTube employees knew what was uploaded to the site–or posted pirated clips themselves–YouTube could lose its protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Hmmm…not sure how I feel about this.