Veoh Seeks Court Protection from UMG Suit

NEW YORK, August 10: The online video service Veoh says it
is seeking court protection against any copyright infringement suits from
Universal Music Group, in the face of “unreasonable threats” from the record
company.

Veoh said in a statement that it has filed an action in
Federal court to reinforce its rights as a copyright compliant company under
the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). It is seeking a
declaration that it has not infringed on the label’s copyrights, and that it is
entitled to “safe harbor” under the DMCA from any claims brought by UMG. The
action does not seek payment for damages.

"It is unfortunate that UMG prefers to take actions
that are designed to stifle innovation, shut down new markets and maintain the
status quo instead of working to change and evolve models for today and the
future," said Steve Mitgang, the CEO of Veoh Networks.

A UMG statement responded with: "Universal Music Group
is enthusiastic about using technology to build communities, as evidenced by
our deal with YouTube. But that's not what Veoh is all about. Rather, it's
about trying to build a business on the backs of our artists and songwriters
without fairly compensating them for the use of their works."

Mitgang told Reuters that UMG had "directly
threatened" Veoh, accusing the platform of featuring videos that infringed
on the label’s music copyright.