SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Viacom Inc. on Friday demanded that Google Inc.'s YouTube free video-sharing Web site remove more than 100,000 videos from Viacom now available on the Web site.
The demand is unusual because of its breadth, and follows months of failed negotiations to strike a content-licensing deal with Google Inc. (GOOG :
google inc cl a

GOOG479.98, -1.77, -0.4% ) , which purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion last year.
A YouTube representative didn't have an immediate comment. In previous interviews, YouTube representatives said the company is always willing to respond to valid requests to remove material from the site. It has also cooperated with various entertainment firms by turning over details about users who uploaded pirated videos.
Officials at Google of Mountain View, Calif., didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a written statement, New York-based Viacom (VIA :
viacom inc new cl a
VIA41.03, +0.66, +1.6% ) said it's acting in part because YouTube has failed, as promised, to add screening tools meant to ferret out pirated material uploaded to the site. The automated tools were supposed to be in place by Jan. 1, but have apparently not materialized.
Google has compounded the problem lately by allowing its Google Video Web site to include YouTube videos, according to Viacom.
"After months of ongoing discussions with YouTube and Google, it has become clear that YouTube is unwilling to come to a fair market agreement that would make Viacom content available to YouTube users," Viacom said in its statement.
"YouTube and Google retain all of the revenue generated from this practice, without extending fair compensation to the people who have expended all of the effort and cost to create it."
Viacom's actions come three weeks after it introduced its own YouTube-like Web site to feature some of its videos. Dubbed "Acceptable TV," the effort was described in Viacom press materials as "reforming the runaway user-generated content movement."
"Our hope is that YouTube and Google will support a fair and authorized distribution model that allows consumers to continue to enjoy our very popular content now and in the future," Viacom said in its statement.
YouTube has already struck some licensing deals with other entertainment companies, which might dampen the prospect they will comply with Viacom's demands.
subsidiaries such as Fox television have had their disputes with YouTube in recent weeks, the company is not planning to make a similar blanket demand, said Andrew Butcher, corporate spokesman.
Fox recently subpoenaed YouTube for the names of those who uploaded Fox television shows "24" and "The Simpsons."
"We respect Viacom's decision to protect it's content in whatever way they think is appropriate," Butcher said. "We don't have any plans for that."
Butcher said News Corp. is looking at YouTube videos on a case-by-case basis, requesting takedowns for some videos and allowing others to stand.
One example in which News Corp. did not request a takedown was last year's controversial interview of former President Bill Clinton by Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace. An agitated Clinton got into a heated discussion with Wallace during one exchange. End of Story

Why? It's not like MTV was ever playing the damn videos in the first place.

RipHer2Shreds said:

how can these videos be owned by mtv?? aint they propery of record companies

i dont get this at all

asg said:

maybe they mean video clips which are tagged with MTV/VH-1 logos?

if the video is a promo from the record company which has been posted directly from the promo tape to youtube, i don't see how MTV can do a thing.

Anx said:

Well, there is also much of BET's and MTV's original programming to consider ("Real World," "College Hill," "Club MTV," etc.)

namepeace said:

yeah, and that much makes sense.

but if someone posts a hall & oates video on youtube, it's none of viacom's business unless the video came from an MTV broadcast, in which case it would have the MTV logo flashing on screen at some point i guess. i SUPPOSE that would be considered property of viacom. not the video, but the broadcast that's being used. yanno?

namepeace said:

i dont see many ppl goin to youtube to see those kinda shows

i dont think the mtv logo should mean anything since they didnt pay for making of those videos in anycase

asg said:

Club MTV yes, because people post artist performances from that show. As for the others, maybe there was a pivotal scene that someone wanted others to see.

asg said:

if you're a petty trifling corporate cable network, i'm sure it means a LOT...to them, anyway.

A better idea:

MTV (....ViaCON in general) needs to stop playing too many freaking reality shows and start playing ALL of the old-schools videos. THAT way, it wouldn't be an issue to begin with.

TonyVanDam said:

Exactly, this is just another way of Viacon pointing the finger of slagging sales, this is the same crap Jay Z's camp tried with Myspace saying that Myspace posted the album a week early which led to Jay Z's album not toppint a million in its first week of sales. They need to see WHY people are turning to YouTube instead of shutting it down or trying to shut it down. Basic reason when i turn on BET i wanna see the new AMERIE video not Keyshia Coles Reality show, and when i turn on Vh1 i wanna see the New Mellencamp or Harry Connick video not "I love New York" or "The white Rapper show", and MTV well they should just remove the M because they havent been about Music in a real long time.

lastdecember said:

Damn, they still showing that mess?

Everything is being removed Now the only thing left is gonna be no name idiots posting clips of themselves doing lame shit for attention's sake.

apparently most videos have been removed with a mtv logo on the bottom

This is not mtv property record companies own these videos how come mtv has control over them

asg said:

because if it has the MTV logo, that means it was aired on MTV, which means it was MTV programming, which means they own that particular version of the imagery.

if MTV aired a video of YOU and you taped it from MTV and posted it on youtube, MTV could ask you to remove the video and be totally in the right...even though you're posting a video of yourself.

it makes perfect sense to me.

Anx said:

Yeah...I hear you but I think they're just mad because people would rather watch low quality youtube repeats than the crap they have the nerve to call programming today.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

probably true. or at the very least, they want more traffic going to mtv.com, where they have a whole archive of music videos...complete with advertising tacked all over the place which youtube is distracting people away from.

Anx said: