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YouTube asked to remove 100,000 clips

03/02/2007

Video sharing website YouTube has been asked to remove 100,000 video clips by US media conglomerate Viacom.

The media giant, which owns MTV and Comedy Central, has requested that the clips be taken down due to YouTube and parent company Google's alleged inability to "filter" out the copyright-infringing videos.

Executive vice president and general counsel of Viacom Michael Fricklas said: "Our stuff costs a lot of money to make. It's made with the best people in the world. It generates huge audiences. So people should be prepared to pay for what it's worth."

YouTube will comply with the request but has commented that it is regrettable that Viacom could no longer "benefit from YouTube's passionate audience which had helped promote many of Viacom's shows".

According to surveys the site has more than 20 million visitors each month and last October agreed deals with media giants CBS, Sony BMG and Universal to provide content for the site.

The site was set up by three former PayPal employees in February 2005 and currently employs only 67 people. Last November, the company was acquired by internet search provider Google for $1.65 billion (£839 million) in a share transaction.

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