According to local reports, Youku is planning to appeal the ruling on the grounds that alliance members may not have the power to bring anti-piracy suits to court.
The decision comes two and a half months after Youku launched three of its own lawsuits against Sohu for copyright infringement and defamation. These suits were prompted after the Anti-Piracy Alliance announced its intention to file infringement grievances against Youku, as well as Pepsi and Coca-Cola, for having advertised on unlicensed Youku videos. Youku’s suit was filed in a pre-emptive measure before the alliance acted on its claims.
According to reports, the case against Youku included 47 films and TV shows.
"Regarding the 47 cases lodged by Voole, yes, we are appealing to the Beijing Intermediate Court. We are appealing to the fact we have fulfilled the 'deletion upon notice' obligations, and according to the relevant laws and regulations in China, i.e. 'safe harbor' clause, similar to the DMCA and Section 230 (CDA) protections for copyright complaints in the United States, we are not at fault. In addition, we believe Voole does not have proper rights to the contents they claim to have," said Dele Liu, CFO and senior vice-president of Youku.
Sources close to the suits suggest that the fine is only a fraction of what was sought by the alliance. In September, reports noted that the group would seek up to $14 million worth of damages.
The news comes weeks after news surfaced that Soho was sued by an additional five parties for what is thought to be linked to copyright infringement, including another member of the Anti-Piracy Alliance.
Youku was launched in 2006 by founder and CEO Victor Koo. Prior to Youku's launch, Koo served at different times as Sohu's president, COO and CFO, departing the company after six years in 2005.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that the lawsuit against Youku was brought by Sohu. This was incorrect. Sohu was not party to the lawsuit, except as the organiser of the Alliance.
The decision comes two and a half months after Youku launched three of its own lawsuits against Sohu for copyright infringement and defamation. These suits were prompted after the Anti-Piracy Alliance announced its intention to file infringement grievances against Youku, as well as Pepsi and Coca-Cola, for having advertised on unlicensed Youku videos. Youku’s suit was filed in a pre-emptive measure before the alliance acted on its claims.
According to reports, the case against Youku included 47 films and TV shows.
"Regarding the 47 cases lodged by Voole, yes, we are appealing to the Beijing Intermediate Court. We are appealing to the fact we have fulfilled the 'deletion upon notice' obligations, and according to the relevant laws and regulations in China, i.e. 'safe harbor' clause, similar to the DMCA and Section 230 (CDA) protections for copyright complaints in the United States, we are not at fault. In addition, we believe Voole does not have proper rights to the contents they claim to have," said Dele Liu, CFO and senior vice-president of Youku.
Sources close to the suits suggest that the fine is only a fraction of what was sought by the alliance. In September, reports noted that the group would seek up to $14 million worth of damages.
The news comes weeks after news surfaced that Soho was sued by an additional five parties for what is thought to be linked to copyright infringement, including another member of the Anti-Piracy Alliance.
Youku was launched in 2006 by founder and CEO Victor Koo. Prior to Youku's launch, Koo served at different times as Sohu's president, COO and CFO, departing the company after six years in 2005.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that the lawsuit against Youku was brought by Sohu. This was incorrect. Sohu was not party to the lawsuit, except as the organiser of the Alliance.
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