If you run a social media service is it your job to prevent users from uploading content that is copyright?  We always assumed that it was.  Now what steps do we need to take to find copyright material?  We always assumed that we were required to use all reasonable methods to do so.  Periodically a copyright owner will contact us and request that a video or audio file be removed and of course we comply.  What if we decided that we were going to stop using ‘reasonable methods’ to remove copyright content, unless a copyright holder entered into an agreement with our company?  I suspect we would get sued.

Turns out that is exactly what Google is doing.  They wait for take down notices and then remove copyright material.  Google has filters that would prevent copyright material from appearing on YouTube and Google Video, but according the Mark Cuban and the WSJ: “Viacom spokesman Carl Folta also took issue with the idea that YouTube would only make filtering available to companies who make deals a la Warner Music.”

Sounds like having your cake and eating it to to me.   Do no evil?  Guess it is okay to ‘Not do no evil…’