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April 16, 2007 5:35 PM PDT

Schmidt says YouTube 'very close' to filtering system

Last modified: April 16, 2007 6:25 PM PDT

LAS VEGAS--Google is very near enacting a filtering service that would prevent copyright content from being uploaded to video-sharing site YouTube, CEO Eric Schmidt said Monday.

Schmidt made the comments to about 300 people here at the National Association of Broadcasters conference during a one-on-one interview with John Seigenthaler, a former reporter with NBC's Nightly News.

The new system, which Schmidt called Claim Your Content, will automatically identify copyright material so that it can be removed, Schmidt said.

"We are very close to turning this on," Schmidt said.

The filtering system was supposed to have launched last year at YouTube, which Google acquired for $1.6 billion in October 2006. Delays in rolling it out have angered movie and television executives. Executives at NBC and Viacom have accused Google of dragging its feet on preventing YouTube users from uploading clips from hit shows and movies.

Network executives accused Google of stalling so YouTube could reap the big traffic that professionally-created shows generate. Viacom filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google last month and accused Google of massive intentional copyright infringement.

"Ah Viacom," Schmidt said. "You're either doing business with them or being sued by them...we chose the former, but ended up the latter."

Schmidt took the opportunity to poke fun at Microsoft's assertion that Google's pending acquisition of DoubleClick may be a threat to fair competition. Other companies, including Yahoo and AT&T have also asked regulators to review the transaction closely.

Seigenthaler asked Schmidt what he thought of Microsoft's concerns and Schmidt responded as if he hadn't heard previously about them.

"Microsoft?" Schmidt said.

When Seigenthaler said Microsoft also expressed concern about Google's size and the safety of privacy on the Web, Schmidt played to the crowd and responded once again: "Microsoft?"

"The specific complaints Microsoft has made are clearly false," a more serious Schmidt said. "I think a more likely scenario is that they are making those arguments because they are a competitor of ours."

Earlier Seigenthaler noted that many in the crowd were in radio and television and many may fear that Google has its sights set on their advertising market.

Google said Sunday that it will begin selling advertisements on all of the radio stations owned by Clear Channel Communications, the nation's largest station owner.

Google has been working to extend its reach into traditional media ad sales, but Schmidt denied that Google is a threat to radio, television or newspapers. He noted that ad revenues for TV and radio have been relatively flat and implored the audience to realize that they need to bring in new advertisers. His message of course is that Google can help them do that.

"Google is new phenomenon that isn't going to replace radio or TV," he said. "It seems to me that Google has an ad business that can add to the success of radio and TV."

See more CNET content tagged:
Eric Schmidt, Viacom Inc., YouTube, Google Inc., radio

Add a Comment (Log in or register) 7 comments
Microsoft...?
by aSiriusTHoTH April 16, 2007 7:32 PM PDT
It is kind of funny having Microsoft saying that Google is attempting an advertising monopoly.

What next... AT@T saying that the Yankees are monopolizing baseball attendance?
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Hopefully it will be done soon....
by ZeroJCF April 16, 2007 8:37 PM PDT
so they CAN CONCENTRATE ON MAKING THEIR SEARCH ENGINE BETTER!!! Am I the only one who has noticed that their search has gone down hill? I have been using Yahoo & Live (Yuk) lately, because believe it or not, it has been better. Plus, you are guaranteed of at least 6 "crap" results at the top with each google search. I guess anyone can pay to have their company come up even though it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH MY SEARCH TERMS. Way to go Google, keep buying crap and forget about what made you popular to begin with. I can't wait for Powerset.
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Remember Napster?
by thedreaming April 17, 2007 8:03 AM PDT
When napster was forced to install filters, pirates found a way around them. I'm sure the filters being installed for youtube do more than just scan the text titles of uploaded videos, but rather look for digital watermarks being inserted into everything being broadcasted.
Reply to this comment
Things you can usually do with a TV star hey girls.
by wildchild_plasma_gyro April 17, 2007 11:28 AM PDT
It's all very well these TV companies saying that it's there material bringing in the crowd.
Here's a question, was it the copyright avaded music that was most popular on mp3.com.

Um i have some words to add to this issue.
Are secrets within societies confines that good/needed.
Did anyone get a decent nights sleep last night.
Is the God george Bush refers to some little man who owns a bank or three, who says every so often "give me some blood sport".
Whats the full truth about Eastern/Southern inventive capabilities.
What campanies purchuse the wood gained from EU contracts agreed outside of the EU.
Has anyone ever invented multitonic hypnosis techniques.
Why isn't all the activities of psychiatrists public knowledge.
When Europe started to rebel against the church did it in the long term cause more harm than good. perhaps we went to fast on a tangent because we were opressed for so long.

Heres one that will really bake your noodle and you probably you won't know the truth about for time to come.
Is this hi global level of destruction we've got
Caused by
a) A nasty man calling himself god at the top
b) Load of iggnorant nasty people purpetuating and celebrating destructive means.
or c) the amazing and over simplified butterfly effect of a sprawl.

Infact the truth might be a combination of all of these.
One thing is for sure MP3.com was closed.
Music is powerful
There is a triangle on your dollar bill.
you all run the law through fear of a larger than life processes that dont fully represent your individual status.
Freedom stops when you fall back down to the groud i'e it's relative.
God is one of many possibilities.
And most important Diagonal line blokes care more about efficiency than (perficiency and detail) in most companies and most companies don't last very long.

The end
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