Winston’s Representation of Veoh Discussed in Various Media Outlets

Winston & Strawn's representation of Veoh Networks, Inc. has been included in various media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Corporate Counsel, Law360, and Managing Intellectual Property.

In 2007, a division of Universal Music Group, Inc. sued Veoh, claiming the company had an affirmative duty to remove infringing content uploaded by users of Veoh.com. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit disagreed, ruling that Veoh cannot be sued for copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and that rights holders (like UMG) are better situated to identify and flag pirated content.

In Corporate Counsel's January 26, 2012 article, "Rounding Up the 10 Biggest IP Litigation Wins of 2011," the firm's representation of Veoh, a now-defunct video-sharing site, was included as one of the ten biggest IP litigation wins of 2011. As reported by Corporate Counsel: "That ruling deals a blow to media conglomerate Viacom Inc., in its pending appeal to the Second Circuit of a similar copyright infringement ruling it lost to YouTube in 2010."

On February 13, 2011, Law360's article, "How They Won It: Winston Wins Copyright Shield For Veoh," explains how Winston & Strawn attorneys were able to prove to the courts that the DMCA's safe harbor conditions not only protected Veoh's activities, but were absolutely vital to the growth of the Internet, as well as many other benefits, such as those to education, entertainment and the economy.

Intellectual property partner Michael Elkin, based in Winston & Strawn's New York office, was lead counsel for Veoh and argued the case before the Ninth Circuit. Partner Jennifer Golinveaux assisted in representing Veoh in the matter.