engine - 2:07 pm on Apr 20, 2012 (gmt 0)

YouTube Could Face Massive Royalty Bill In Germany [zdnet.com]

A German court ruled today that Google-owned YouTube is solely responsible for the content that users upload and post on the video-sharing website, a decision that could have massive implications for the company. YouTube could be forced to pay royalties to those whose music copyright was infringed upon. It was also ordered to install word-based filters to bolster its existing filtering system to prevent further infringement of copyrighted work.

YouTube said during the case that it should not be held responsible for the content its users upload. YouTube said it has state-of-the-art copyright filters which detect and remove infringing content from the site. It also warns users that they are infringing copyright. It said during earlier proceedings that it blocks content when users and rights holders alert the company over infringing content. Millions of music videos could be affected, and Google could ultimately end up having to fork out vast sums back to the music industry as a result of this landmark case.