French Court Tells Google To Do The Impossible: Stop People From Uploading Copyrighted Material
from the and-if-it-can't? dept
What do you do when the court orders you to do the impossible? The French High Court has apparently told Google that if someone alerts it to an unauthorized video being uploaded to Google video, not only does it need to take the video down, but it must prevent that same video from ever being uploaded again ever. It seems that some people still believe that this really is possible, but despite some companies claiming they offer filters that will block certain uploads, none have been shown to be all that effective. There's always some way to mask or change the content enough that these filters won't work. The question that comes up again, though, is why is this Google's responsibility? If there's liability, it should be on the person uploading the unauthorized content. If someone is clever enough to get around any filter, then why should Google have to pay for that?Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: france, liability, online video
Companies: google
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and has Deep Pockets
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Well...
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Same?
But what if I change the file name? Is it "the same?" How many bits do they have to have in common before it's no longer "the same?" What if my file has the same checksum as another file?
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They'
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They're French
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Yay Kev B
Within a matter of days every French person, business, and community with a web presence would be in an uproar and dragging the French court down the street for a lynching.
Pull out Google, pull out.
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What absurdity
I think one of these judges can look at the log of incoming files for about 3 seconds and realize that there is no good way to prevent a similar file from being posted with a different name. Generalized filters will start messing with non-offending files and thus useless. Someone needs to pull a head out of someone-in-charge's arse and smell the Silicon Age.
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Re: What absurdity
Whatever it is, there's no way in hell I'd consider paying for it now.
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Re: Yay Kev B
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Re:
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French Software Savvy
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Surrender monkeys...
Oh, and Ken, you appear to be Canadian, but how can you possibly complain when your own government is implementing an even more moronic approach to copyright protection?
In any case, yeah, the ruling is pretty much idiotic...
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KeV
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Re: Surrender monkeys...
Please tell me when this became a nationalistic witch-hunt? Other than me pointing out that France is the rectum of Europe (and in a continent that contains Germany, Lichtenstein and Belgium, that's some serious competition!).
I didn't say any other government was any better, I only pointed out that France, their government and their predilection for wearing berets, munching onions and saying HAW-HE-HAW-HE-HAW is gay. It is. The end.
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Stop using that word
No matter how slow progress is nowadays, dubbing such a thing is impossible not helping anyone. The future will have full content control, on a global scale, and saying "impossible" just means that everything has to be shut down right now.
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Re: Stop using that word
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Face it, life without the French...
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Re: Stop using that word
P.S. The French can SUCK IT. And by "it" I mean a detonating nuclear warhead. Who are they to tell Google what to do? If the US hadn't helped them all those years ago, they'd be speaking German. And they'd be dead. Freaking frog eaters.
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What a bunch of racists (above)
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Re: #25
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Re: Re: #25
Silly comment - of course you can. look in a dictionary:
rac·ism
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
race
1. a group of persons related by common descent or heredity.
The French are a group of people related by common (French) descent and/or heredity, therefore you can be racist against them. Just like they can be racist against you. Funnily, Americans always complain about how the French are rude to them, but seem to have no problems treating them as per the above comments.
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Silly Rulings
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Racism
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Re: They're French
Though you think that's an irrational idea, you need not say it so nastily!
I don't like it, but do you see me barbarically insulting a VERY large group of foreign citizens? I think not!
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msg for Kev B
May be Kev B is from the New York slums - a dung beetle -
smells whenever he talks.
>> who can't fight and can't fukc.
Fight for your country's nauseating cause - HA HA HA
- your gov creates the foreign policy mess somewhere and expects others to clean up - wow!! what an expectation
>> just block every French IP.
no google is needed in France, go ahead and do it. you'll
be the loser, not us.
>> Either that or assemble it's entire work force and >>invade the place. See if they can get from Calais to >>Paris before the French surrender. I bet they can't.
Well try the invasion and see what happens !!
Best of luck for running around a tree trying to fkcu
yourself.
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Re: msg for Kev B
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