Online platforms, such as YouTube, are not liable for users who infringe copyright under certain circumstances. This was ruled by the European Court of Justice on Tuesday, Reuters writes.
In Germany, two cases were pending concerning users who illegally uploaded protected works to the online platform. The Court of Justice has ruled in both cases.
The Court concluded that online platforms are not liable for users who infringe copyright. The judge does say that the platforms are responsible for the distribution and accessibility of stolen works. They have to counter that.
In the first case, YouTube and parent company Google were sued by music producer Frank Peterson. Users had uploaded a number of phonograms, of which Peterson owns the rights, to the video platform in 2008.
In the second case, publishing group Elsevier filed a lawsuit against file hosting service Cyando. Users had uploaded several Elsevier works to the service without permission in 2013.