YouTube起诉“干净世界”盗版侵权

据美国娱乐媒体《每日综艺》网站（Variety.com）报道，12月18日，YouTube 对邪教FLG旗下的视频分享平台“干净世界”（GJW）提起诉讼，指控其“自动从 YouTube 上收集用户频道和相关内容”。主要内容如下：

周三，YouTube在向加州法院提起的诉讼中表示，“干净世界”的服务“克隆了 YouTube 的大部分功能及其整体外观”。 “但 GJW 的模仿一点也不讨人喜欢。 GJW 服务的惊人相似之处并非公平竞争的产物。相反，GJW 及其一致行动者已经系统性、大范围地自动盗用YouTube 服务的内容。

根据诉讼，“干净世界”涉嫌大量复制内容并随内容销售广告，违反了YouTube 的服务条款。 YouTube 还指控 GJW 违反了加州的不公平竞争法。

YouTube 法务副总裁兰斯·卡瓦诺(Lance Kavanaugh) 在声明中表示，“干净世界”通过窃取YouTube 创作者的内容来创建YouTube 的克隆版，从而利用YouTube 创作者的利益，剥夺了创作者所期望的保护和控制，以及通过其赚钱的能力。这对创作者和整个生态系统来说都是不利的，我们正在采取行动确保这种情况停止。

YouTube于12月18日向加州圣克拉拉县高等法院提起针对“干净世界”的诉讼。在诉讼中，YouTube 正在寻求未具体说明的金钱赔偿、法律费用和“禁止GJW 干预 YouTube 的合约关系并纠正 GJW 的不公平竞争”的禁令。

根据YouTube 诉讼，该诉讼援引了2024 年3 月19 日的一篇文章，总部位于纽约州米德尔敦的干净世界是“FALUNDAFA干净世界基金会”的子公司，该基金会是与falungong邪教结盟的非营利组织。YouTube 的诉讼称，“falungong学员被要求每天浏览干净世界以增加流量、订阅某些频道、点赞按钮、写正面评论’”。

“干净世界”据称以批发方式复制的 YouTube 频道和影片包括顶级 YouTuber Mark Rober、NPR Music（及其 Tiny Desk 音乐会系列）、YouTube Tech Guy、St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 和YouTube 本身的频道和影片。 。

YouTube诉状称，“GJW 上的许多频道克隆了 YouTube 上的相应频道，包括显示与 YouTube 上相同的频道横幅图像、个人资料图示图像和频道描述。透过 GJW 频道存取的影片通常包含与 YouTube 上的影片完全相同的影片副本，甚至包括相同的影片标题和描述。”

诉讼称，2024 年 3 月 18 日，YouTube 向“干净世界”发出通知，要求“立即停止其不当行为”。诉讼称，GJW 删除了信中特别指出的频道，“但继续托管无数其他频道，这些频道被不当访问并使用自动化手段从 YouTube 上完全获取”。 YouTube 于 4 月 5 日向 GJW 发送了另一封信，重申 GJW 的行为违反了服务条款，并要求“停止不当行为”。4月11日，“干净世界”回覆YouTube，否认有任何不当行为。 GJW 再次删除了 YouTube 强调的 GJW 不当行为的克隆频道，让无数其他频道活跃在“干净世界”上，他们继续为 GJW 创造广告收入，”YouTube 诉讼称。

“干净世界”是邪教falungong运营的视频平台，因大量、频繁搬运他人作品，涉嫌盗版侵权不断遭遇投诉，这是该平台首次被起诉。

YouTube Sues Gan Jing World, Accusing Video Site of ‘Stealing’ Content to ‘Create a Clone of YouTube’

By Todd Spangler

 

YouTube filed a lawsuit against Ganjingworld, which operates the Gan Jing World video-sharing site, alleging that it has been “automatically vacuuming up YouTube user channels and associated content from YouTube.”

 

Ganjingworld’s service “clones most of YouTube’s functionalities and its overall appearance,” YouTube says in the suit, filed Wednesday in California state court.    “But GJW’s imitation is anything but flattering.    The striking similarities in GJW’s service are not the product of fair competition.    Rather, GJW and those acting in concert with it have engaged in systematic and wide-ranging automated appropriation of content from the YouTube service.”

 

 

According to the lawsuit, Ganjingworld violated YouTube’s terms of service through the alleged massive copying of content and by selling advertising alongside it.    YouTube also accuses GJW of violating California’s Unfair Competition Law.

 

 

Variety has reached out to Ganjingworld for comment.

 

In a statement, Lance Kavanaugh, VP of legal at YouTube, said, “Ganjingworld takes advantage of YouTube creators by stealing their content to create a clone of YouTube — depriving creators of the protections and controls they expect, and the ability to make money from their work.    This is bad for creators and the overall ecosystem, and we are taking action to ensure it stops.”

 

YouTube filed the lawsuit against Ganjingworld on Dec. 18 in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Santa Clara.    In the suit, YouTube is seeking unspecified monetary damages, legal fees and an injunction “prohibiting GJW from interfering in YouTube’s contractual relationships and redressing GJW’s unfair competition.”    A copy of the complaint is available at this link.

 

? According to YouTube’s lawsuit, “Falun Gong practitioners are asked to ‘browse [Gan Jing World] daily to increase traffic, subscribe to some channels, click the like buttons, and write positive comments,’” citing an article on Minghui.org, a website that says it is “dedicated to reporting on the Falun Gong community worldwide.”

 

YouTube channels and videos that Gan Jing World allegedly copied in wholesale fashion include those of top YouTuber Mark Rober, NPR Music (and its Tiny Desk Concert series), the YouTube Tech Guy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and YouTube itself, according to the complaint.

 

According to YouTube’s suit, Ganjingworld “has professed to be ignorant of this activity, despite countless angry complaints from creators and multiple demand letters from YouTube.    It has claimed it merely distributed a ‘content synchronization’ tool that others use to grab whatever they please from YouTube and port it over to GJW.”    The lawsuit continues, “Even if that were so (and YouTube believes GJW and its agents are far more involved in that process), GJW would still be liable for inducing its users to breach the users’ agreements with YouTube.”

 

“Many channels on GJW clone the corresponding channels on YouTube, including by displaying the same channel banner images, profile icon images, and channel descriptions displayed on YouTube.    The videos accessible through the GJW channel generally consist of exact video duplicates of those videos on YouTube, and even include the same video titles and descriptions,” the YouTube lawsuit alleges.

 

On March 18, 2024, YouTube sent Ganjingworld a notice to “immediately cease and desist from its misconduct,” according to the lawsuit.    GJW removed channels specifically identified in the letter, “but continued to host countless other channels improperly accessed and taken in full from YouTube using automated means,” the lawsuit alleges.    YouTube sent GJW another letter on April 5, reiterating that GJW’s conduct violated the terms of service and demanding “it cease its misconduct.”    On April 11, Ganjingworld “replied to YouTube denying any impropriety.    GJW again removed the cloned channels that YouTube highlighted as examples of GJW’s wrongdoing, leaving countless others active on Gan Jing World, where they continue to generate advertising revenue for GJW,” the YouTube lawsuit states.

 

In its press materials, Gan Jing World says that it is “a U.S. company revolutionizing the digital user experience.    Our Mission is to utilize technology to revitalize traditional connections.

 

Gan Jing World is affiliated with the cult Falun Gong

 

 

https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/youtube-lawsuit-gan-jing-world-1236252402/