(Adds YouTube comment, background, detail.)
By
Giada Zampano
and
Liam Moloney
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
ROME
-(Dow Jones)-
Mediaset SpA
(MS.MI), Italy's largest private broadcaster, said Wednesday it has filed a lawsuit for at least
EUR500 million
against
Google Inc.'s
(GOOG) YouTube for the unlawful use of the Italian company's audio and video files.
Mediaset's legal action is the latest in a string of other copyright and trademark lawsuits, which analysts see as eventually weighing on
Google's
earnings.
In a statement, Mediaset said it filed the suit against
Google
and its video- sharing unit YouTube in a
Rome
court.
The
Milan
-based company, owned by Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi
, said it is seeking at least
EUR500 million
in damages and will also seek compensation for missed advertising revenue due to unauthorized use of its files.
Mediaset rose on the news, and by
1354 GMT
they were up 3.5% at
EUR4.73
, outperforming a slightly positive overall market.
Mediaset said it found "at least 4,643 videos and clips owned by us, equivalent to more than 325 hours of transmission without having rights" on YouTube in a simple analysis
June 10
.
It said this was equal to the loss of 315,672 days of broadcasting on its three TV channels.
YouTube said Wednesday it respected copyright holders and didn't see any need for the legal case launched by Mediaset.
"YouTube respects copyright holders and takes copyright issues very seriously, " said a company spokesperson. "There is no need for legal action and all the associated costs."
Google
and
Viacom Inc.
(VIA) earlier this month agreed to let
Google
make YouTube visitor data anonymous before complying with a judge's order to deliver the data to
Viacom
as part of a broader copyright lawsuit.
Viacom
has sued YouTube for
$1 billion
, alleging that YouTube users have posted clips from
Viacom
-owned cable-TV networks including MTV and Comedy Central without authorization.
Google
has denied any wrongdoing.
Viacom
and its copyright lawsuit against YouTube might have spoiled
Google
earnings show, observers say.
Google's
second-quarter earnings fell short of Wall Street estimates and most observers blamed the miss on the swooning economy or a shortfall in the company's interest income.
But some analysts noted higher legal costs could affect
Google's
earnings for some time to come.
Company Web site: www.mediaset.it
-By
Giada Zampano
and
Liam Moloney
, Dow Jones Newswires; +39 06 6976 6924; liam.moloney@dowjones.com
Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http:// www.djnewsplus.com/al?rnd=RpBLwY2%2BwBMpPkHqa4Duuw%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
07-30-08
1025ET
Copyright (c) 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.