YouTube Not Liable For Illegal Uploads Of Copyrighted Material, EU Top Court Rules

E.U.’s top court has exempted Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL Google’s YouTube from illegal uploads of copyright-protected music or videos under the regulator’s old rules, Bloomberg reports.
However, YouTube and similar platforms will be liable if it was aware of the illegal content and refrained from immediately deleting it or blocking access to it.
Previously, German music producer Frank Peterson prosecuted Google’s YouTube for videos uploaded on its platform with extracts from singer Sarah Brightman. The producer sought a ban and compensation.
The ruling was limited to the E.U.’s old copyright rules and preceded a revised law that took effect earlier this month. It mandated YouTube, Facebook Inc FB, and other platforms to install filters to block users from sharing copyrighted material, CNBC reports.
Tensions over YouTube copyright action intensified in 2020 as the company increasingly automated content moderation due to lockdown restrictions.
YouTube paid over $4 billion to the music industry over the past 12 months, with 30% of that sum coming from monetized videos.
Price action: GOOG shares traded higher by 0.58% at $2,543.72 on the last check Tuesday.