YouTube Booted by France, England

Although they once fought for more than a century during the Hundred Years' War, it seems sports copyrights have been enough to unite old foes against a common enemy.

The Federation Francaise de Tennis and Ligue de Football Professionnel (France's tennis and soccer organizations) have joined England's Premier League in a lawsuit against YouTube.

The lawsuit was filed last month in a US District Court. The Premier League is aiming to gain class-action status for the suit, which argues that it is YouTube's responsibility to use the necessary tools to prevent copyright-protected material from showing up on their site. (Source: arstechnica.com)

Dan Johnson, a spokesperson for the Premier League, announced, "We are pleased to see other copyright holders joining us in what we are trying to achieve. They clearly recognize the need to take action against YouTube and Google to protect the value of their rights." (Source: sportbusiness.com)

He added, "the Internet is increasingly important as a medium for distribution of entertainment, sports, and other content, but nothing gives YouTube the right to build its business based on the hard work of others without their permission and without payment. We anticipate these latest parties are just the 'tip of the iceberg', and more will follow." (Source: sportbusiness.com)

Music companies have also joined the suit; Cherry Lane Music Publishing, which manages copyrights for artists such as Elvis Presley and Wolfmother, told the media, "We have a record of unsurpassed meticulousness and diligence in the protection of our clients' copyrights and collection of income due them". (Source: arstechnica.com)

Although YouTube could not be reached for comment, the company has argued in the past that it is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. (Source: zdnetasia.com)