Ustream is being sued by Square Ring, a company owned by boxer Roy Jones Jr. over the alleged streaming of a fight between him and Omar Sheika in March. Is Ustream protected by law or is this a case that could prove instrumental in changing the way live streaming services operate?
Live Streaming Video Sites
Live streaming services such as Ustream, Justin.tv, and Livestream are quickly growing in popularity. They allow anyone who wants to to stream video of whatever they want to. It really is that varied and unencumbered.
So long, of course, as the content being streamed is legally available for broadcast.
However, as they grow bigger there is one thing likely to start affecting them more and more: copyright infringements and getting sued for those alleged offenses. Because alongside the people lifecasting or covering social events, there are people streaming copyrighted video content using the services.
Copyright Infringements
Piracy and copyright infringement is an inherent part of online video in all its various forms. It’s really just a matter of what steps each individual company involved does to prevent infringing content from appearing on their site and what it does to placate the copyright owner if an infringement does take place.
YouTube started out as a playground for copyright infringements, and Viacom consequently sued for $1 billion. But since Google took over things have changed, with YouTube now doing its best to filter copyrighted content and complying with DMCA Takedown notices if any slip through the net.
Ustream Sued
The problem is still rife on live streaming sites though. And Square Ring has decided to take legal action over what it claims is “massive and blatant copyright infringement” by Ustream and its users.
The lawsuit claims Ustream allowed 2,377 users to watch the pay-per-view Roy Jones Jr. vs Omar Sheika fight without consent and without paying.
Furthermore, the company claims Ustream has failed to co-operate in trying to settle the case and failed to provide takedown tools prior to the event taking place.
Ustream has responded by stating:
“Ustream is serious about complying with the copyright laws and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and we’re aggressively taking short- and long-term steps to work with the content industry to meet their needs.
We believe the Square Ring lawsuit does not have merit and that we’re fully protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act Safe Harbor provisions.”
Conclusions
While I’m usually on the side of video sites and torrent trackers such as The Pirate Bay in their fights against heavy-handed lawsuits from media companies, this one seems to have some merit.
Live streaming companies are going to have to figure out how to maintain their services while protecting copyright owners interests. Otherwise lawsuits such as this one are going to become commonplace in the months and years to come.
[Via TechCrunch]
