New York: Google and Viacom have settled their long-running legal battle regarding copyrighted material on YouTube. Viacom had sought $1bn in damages from the search giant, but according to media reports, no cash changed hands, in the out-of-court settlement bringing the dispute, started in 2007, to an end. Â
The companies said in a joint statement: “This settlement reflects the growing collaborative dialogue between our two companies on important opportunities, and we look forward to working more closely together.”
Viacom’s complaint was for its shows like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, South Park and SpongeBob SquarePants uploaded to YouTube without authorisation, subsequently viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
Since its launch in 2005, and acquisition by Google a year later, YouTube has scuffled with content creators regarding copyrighted clips being uploaded and viewed for free.
