YouTube Is Protected By Copyright Safe Harbor, 11th Cir. Affirms

The safe harbor in a digital copyright law shields YouTube Inc. from allegations it exploited pirated versions of several Spanish-language films, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed.

Athos Ltd. Overseas Corp. failed to show the Alphabet Inc. unit’s knowledge and technological capabilities meant it legally should have purged the piracy, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said Wednesday.

Athos chose not to use YouTube’s match-flagging system and incorrectly characterized the system’s nature and reach in its argument to deny YouTube access to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act safe harbor for online platforms, the unanimous panel said.

Circuit Judge William ...