Online copyright infringement lawsuits are extremely complicated. In addition to the technological complexities involved, these claims involve seemingly endless legal nuance.
There are countless terms and concepts involved with any type of copyright claim. One of the most common aspects of a claim of this kind – an issue that should be among the first things a BitTorrent copyright infringement lawyer should consider when taking a case – is the statute of limitations.
A recent case against YouTube involving the statute of limitations
According to TorrentFreak online, Spanish actor and producer Carlos Vasallo has brought a lawsuit against YouTube. In addition to illegal tying and other claims, Vasallo contends that YouTube infringed on his copyrights by allowing his movies to be streamed illegally.
The case, brought last year, alleged copyright infringement. According to the news report,” The movie tycoon also accused YouTube of several copyright infringement claims by making movies available on the platform without permission. On top of that, YouTube allegedly violated the DMCA, by removing copyright management information from the videos.”
Stalled by the statute of limitations
Although the court allowed some of the claims to proceed, it agreed with the defendant YouTube that the statute of limitation has expired for many of the claims. The court found that for any claim of infringement that occurred before May 3, 2018, the statute of limitations had run, and the claim had expired.
What this means
If you are facing an online copyright infringement lawsuit, one of the first places to look for your defense will be the statute of limitations. Any alleged violation that occurred more than three years before the lawsuit is filed should be eliminated due to the statute of limitations expiring.