Veoh Porn Case Judge Rules in Favor of Tube Sites

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In a decision that will affect every video-sharing site on the Internet, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that just because a tube site encodes videos doesn't mean they control those videos.

The case involves the mainstream video-sharing site Veoh.com, which used to include an adults-only area. They got into legal trouble back in 2006 when the adult entertainment company IO Group, parent company of gay producer Titan Media, found some of their content on Veoh.

The IO Group sued, even though Veoh took down the videos when asked. The IO Group's case hinged on the claim that because the videos had gone through Veoh's encoding process, Veoh should therefore lose its right to protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Judge Howard Lloyd threw out the IO Group's case on the grounds that the encoding process, which transforms the videos into the easy-to-use Flash format during upload, happens independently of the Veoh staff.

“Here, Veoh has simply established a system whereby software automatically processes user-submitted content and recasts it in a format that is readily accessible to its users," he wrote. “Veoh preselects the software parameters for the process from a range of default values set by the thirdparty software,” the judge continued. “But Veoh does not itself actively participate or supervise the uploading of files. Nor does it preview or select the files before the upload is completed. Instead, video files are uploaded through an automated process which is initiated entirely at the volition of Veoh’s users.”

The decision also includes language acknowledging the extreme difficulty in monitoring the vast amount of uploads that happen on sites like Veoh.

However, Judge Lloyd also added, “The decision rendered here is confined to the particular combination of facts in this case and is not intended to push the bounds of the safe harbor so wide that less-than-scrupulous service providers may claim its protection."

YouTube has been fighting with telecom giant Viacom for the past year in a $1 billion copyright infringement case; while the Veoh decision doesn't directly affect YouTube, the company's chief legal counsel praised the decision.

"It is great to see the court confirm that the DMCA protects services like YouTube that follow the law and respect copyrights," Zahavah Levine told TechCrunch.com. "YouTube has gone above and beyond the law to protect content owners while empowering people to communicate and share their experiences online. We work every day to give content owners choices about whether to take down, leave up, or even earn revenue from their videos, and we are developing state-of-the-art tools to let them do that even better."

The decision includes several guidelines for how video-sharing sites can make sure they're protected, including requirements that these sites:

• Tell users that uploading copyrighted material is prohibited.
• Comply with DCMA takedown notices.
• Take steps to control users who infringe on copyrights.

Veoh vs. IO Group

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Canadian Senator Revives Push for National AV Law

Sen. Julie Miville-Dechêne, whose previous multiple attempts to legislate national age verification requirements all failed, has introduced a new bill that would impose fines of up to $500,000 on adult sites that do not implement age verification for Canadian viewers.

FSC Submits Statement to House Committee in Support of FIRM Act

Free Speech Coalition has announced that it submitted a statement to the House Financial Services Committee in support of the Financial Integrity and Regulation Management (FIRM) Act.The announcement follows:

Plaiir Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Plaiir has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Trump Tariffs Remain in Effect Pending Appeal of Trade Court Ruling

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Thursday stayed an injunction by the U.S. Court of International Trade, delaying the trade court’s order blocking the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs, which have significantly impacted the pleasure industry.

FSC Issues Guidance on Kansas Age Verification Suits

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an advisory article for adult websites operating in Kansas, following several private lawsuits filed under the state's age verification law.

Reese Rideout Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Newly crowned XMA Creator Awards Male Clip Artist of the Year Reese Rideout has relaunched his website DrRideout.com through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Show More