(Dana wasn’t kidding when he said he was going to shut down the Internet.)
As part of its ongoing effort to snuff out the unauthorized and illegal use of its intellectual property, the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa LLC. has issued a cease and desist letter to popular web search portal Google.com, ordering that it stop linking to websites that offer illegal UFC pay-per-view streams and archived fight footage.
The move however could backfire on the UFC for at least the time being while Google’s legal team decides what to do, as the letter lists all of the sites that host the streams and videos, providing potential pirates with the means to steal from the company.
The question is, what steps will Zuffa’s legal department take next?
According to sources I’ve spoken to, the company has recently begun issuing similar letters to websites that use unlicensed copies of Getty Image photos from the UFC website, regardless of whether or not attribution is given. A likely next step could be to order Google to stop linking to sites guilty of the infraction.
I’m not a proponent of piracy in any way shape or form, but if Zuffa takes legal action against Google and the search engine counters by removing all search terms relating to the UFC and it’s fighters, it wouldn’t be great for the company.
The letter, courtesy of chillingeffects.com, is after the jump:
September 29, 2010
Sender Information:
Zuffa, LLC
Sent by:
MiMTiD Corp.
USA
Recipient Information:
Google, Inc.
Mountain View, CA, USA
Sent via: email
Re: Dmca copyright
Attention Google:
On behalf of Zuffa, LLC and/or its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, I
am writing to notify you of the infringement of Zuffa, LLC’s intellectual
property rights in the titles identified in this email in Google search
results.
Demand is hereby made that Google take immediate action to stop such
infringements.
The search results and links identified in this email are specific examples
of Google search results linking to images, artwork, video files, video
streams and websites that infringe upon Zuffa, LLC’s intellectual property
rights.
Zuffa, LLC hereby demands that Google promptly remove and disable the links
to all unauthorized copies of works whose copyrights are owned by Zuffa, LLC
of which it is aware, including the infringing files identified in this
email.
This letter is not a complete statement of Zuffa, LLC’s rights in connection
with this matter, and nothing contained herein constitutes an express or
implied waiver of any rights, remedies, or defenses of Zuffa, LLC in
connection with this matter, all of which are expressly reserved.
The undersigned has a good faith belief that use of the materials in the
manner described herein is not authorized by Zuffa, LLC, its agent, or the
law. The information in this notice is accurate. Under penalty of perjury,
the undersigned is authorized to act on behalf of Zuffa, LLC with respect to
this matter.
We appreciate your prompt attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
MiMTiD Corp.
[redacted]
Managing Director
(713) [redacted]
[redacted]@mimtid.com
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Just found a use for Bing.