Google Hands Over Names Of Alleged Copyright Violators to Fox

Television trade publication TV Week is reporting today that YouTube owner Google gave 20th Century Fox Television the names of two accused copyright pirates who illegally uploaded unauthorized copies of Fox’s “24” and “The Simpsons” to the video-sharing Web site last month.

The handover was in association with a subpoena 20th Century Fox filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California demanding  the names of the uploaders.

The big no-no": posting copies of "24" in advance of the season premiere in January.

“We intend to use the information provided to pursue all available legal remedies against those who infringed our copyrights,” Fox spokesperson Chris Alexander said in a statement. “As we have long maintained, Fox is committed to vigorously protecting our content from illegal Internet distribution and other forms of piracy.”

Somehow I don't think this will be the first instance of this practice, nor of this legal issue.