Google, Viacomm Reach YouTube Data Deal

July 15, 2008 10:25 a.m. EST

New York, NY (AHN) - After days of contention, Google Monday reached an agreement with Viacom that enabled the Internet giant to avoid YouTube user data as part of a $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit brought by the media conglomerate.

The agreement, hammered out late Monday, permits Google to submit to Viacom other data instead of user names and computer addresses of people visiting the video-sharing site. In exchange, Google said it would not use the user information in its lawsuit defense.

A judge recently ruled for Viacom, ordering Google to hand over the user-specific data, a decision that sparked a storm of controversy.

One issue still unresolved is whether Google must provide data on YouTube employees that visited the Web site.