Still stinging from a court decision in June which threw out its $1 billion suit against video site YouTube, entertainment company Viacom filed an appeal Wednesday in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York.
The original suit was filed in 2007, and accused YouTube of being a willing participant in the piracy of Viacom's work on the site. The company is behind such networks as Comedy Central, MTV, and VH1. YouTube had made an effort to remove Viacom's content, as well as negotiate with the company, however those talks failed.
"We are disappointed with the judge's ruling, but confident we will win on appeal," general counsel Michael Fricklas said at the time. "It is and should be illegal for companies to build their businesses with creative material they have stolen from others."
Judge Louis Stanton granted Google's request for summary judgement, meaning the case never went to trial. Stanton said that YouTube's actions were legal under the safe harbor provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Several Internet companies including Facebook, Yahoo, and IAC filed briefs with the court in support of Google, saying a decision against the company could open the door for others and could stifle innovation.
Google declined to comment on Viacom's appeal. No date has been set yet for initial hearings on the appeal, as this point in the process is only to notify the court of Viacom's intentions.
Legal experts say that Viacom may have a hard time winning on appeal, and any decision is likely not to come for several years.
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