Google has been forced to hand over details of its YouTube user database, including web addresses, to Viacom after a US court ruling.
Entertainment company Viacom is currently pursuing a $1bn (£505m) copyright lawsuit against Google and will be able to use the information provided by YouTube as evidence in the case.
Viacom wants to determine the amount of copyright material on YouTube, while Google continues to claim it is not responsible for the broadcasting footage on the website.
Google has argued that it removed copyrighted videos from YouTube when asked to do so by content owners and told the court that revealing users’ data would infringe on their privacy.
The US federal court failed to agree but did stop Viacom from accessing the search engine’s source code, saying it would threaten Google’s business.
Louis Stanton, US district judge, said:”YouTube should not be made to place this vital asset in hazard merely to allay speculation.”
However, the disclosure of user data ruled by the court could increase Google’s liability if Viacom wins the case, which started in March last year.
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