EU top court hands win to YouTube in user copyright fight

Europe’s top court said that Google’s YouTube and other online platforms are not liable for copyright-infringing works uploaded by users onto their platforms under certain conditions.

The case marks the latest development in a long-running battle between Europe’s $1 trillion creative industry and online platforms, with the former seeking compensation or action from the latter for unauthorised works that are uploaded.

YouTube found itself in the dock after Frank Peterson, a music producer, sued the company and Google in Germany over the uploading to YouTube by users in 2008 of several phonograms to which he holds the rights.