German Court Orders YouTube And Social Media Platform To Pay Copyrights For Content Deemed To Be Unauthorized

JAKARTA – A high court in Germany has ruled that YouTube and other platforms must pay copyright damages for unauthorized uploads even if the content is uploaded online by a third party.

Platforms will be held liable if they do not act quickly to block access after they become aware of an illegal upload, a German court said in its ruling on Thursday, June 2.

The case comes amid a long-running battle between Europe's $1 trillion creative industry and online platforms, which were the first to seek redress for unauthorized posts.

It is also part of a wider debate about how much online platforms and social media should do to keep tabs on the posting of unauthorized, illegal or hateful content.

According to the ruling, Operators of upload platforms may also in principle be required to disclose the identity of the offending user and their email address.

The court based its decision on one issued by the European Union Court last year.

Thursday's ruling involved a lawsuit filed by the music producer after video and audio recordings of the artist he owned the rights to were still available on YouTube even after the producer's attorney sent a letter asking them to be removed.

No final decision has been made by the court as to whether YouTube is responsible, meaning the case will be returned to a lower court for re-examination under the new guidelines.

YouTube says it believes in the system it has built to combat copyright infringement and ensure rights holders will receive their fair share.