MILAN (Reuters) – Verdicts were expected on Wednesday on Google executives charged over a bullying video posted on the company’s Italian website, in a case that could set a precedent for Internet content responsibility.
The ruling comes as Italy’s government seeks to impose restrictions on hate pages on social networks and as YouTube, owned by Google, is locked in a legal battle with Mediaset, controlled by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Italy’s largest private broadcaster wants 500 million euros ($680 million) in damages from YouTube for copyright infringement.
In the current trial Milan public prosecutors accused three current managers and one former Google executive of defamation and failure to exercise control over personal data.
The case stems from an incident in 2006 when students at an Italian school filmed and then uploaded a clip to Google Video showing them bullying a schoolmate with Down’s syndrome.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.