North Carolina filmmaker Christopher Knight created a commercial as part of a campaign for a seat on a local school board last fall, and posted it on YouTube. Viacom’s VH1 cable channel featured the clip — without Knight’s permission — on its “Web Junk 2.0” TV series. Knight then posted the VH1 clip on Google’s YouTube, only to have Viacom’s lawyers demand the video’s removal. Let’s get this straight: Viacom is asserting that Knight is infringing its copyright by posting a video in which Viacom allegedly infringed on his copyright.
Copyfight: Viacom runs Web video, claims copyright