Fox Goes Nuclear over 24 Videos on YouTube

Thu., Jan. 25, 2007 5:04 PM PST by Joal Ryan

Jack Bauer wants names.

The action hero's studio bosses at 20th Century Fox served YouTube with a subpoena Wednesday, seeking the identity of the user who allegedly posted 24's four-hour season premiere on the viral-video site days before its network and DVD premieres.

The YouTuber, so far known only by the sign-in name "ECOtotal," also stands accused of posting 12 unspecified episodes of The Simpsons, another Fox show.

Per the subpoena, approved by a federal court in San Francisco, YouTube must cough up the requested information on Feb. 9.

LiveDigital, a YouTube rival, is facing a similar order. It was served with a Fox-requested subpoena on Jan. 19.

A spokesman for LiveMedia declined comment Thursday, as did a spokesman for 20th Century Fox.

At Google-owned YouTube, a spokesperson issued a statement acknowledging the site had received the subpoena and saying it "will comply with valid U.S. legal process." The statement did not elaborate.

"As a matter of policy, we do not publicly discuss legal matters," the statement said.

YouTube is no stranger to scrapes with TV networks. Last October, Comedy Central briefly ordered the removal of all Daily Show and Colbert Report clips. A month before that, ABC blew its stack over a posted scene from a then-unaired Desperate Housewives episode.

On the viral site Thursday, footage from Fox shows such as Prison Break, American Idol and even 24 and The Simpsons could be found. But the alleged handiwork of ECOtotal couldn't. The account under that sign-in name has been suspended.

In a letter to YouTube on Jan. 8, 20th Century Fox informed the site of eight offending 24 links, and demanded their removal. YouTube "promptly" yanked the videos, the site said Thursday.

In another Jan. 8 letter, LiveDigital was put on notice about four 24 files. It appears those clips were pulled, as well.

In the letters, Fox noted that it was considering legal action against whoever posted the videos. It is not clear if the same person (or persons) was behind the in-question videos at YouTube and LiveDigital.

In the case of LiveDigital, Fox is seeking records on a subscriber known as "Jorge Romero," who, per his site profile (apparently disabled as of Thursday afternoon), is a 23-year-old Chicago single—college-educated, Catholic and feeling "cool" enough to denote his mood with a sunglasses-wearing smiley face.

The LiveDigital matter only involves 24 and not The Simpsons.

In both subpoenas, Fox alleges the trademark-infringing 24 videos were "pirated copies" of this season's first four episodes, aired Jan. 14-15 on Fox, released on DVD Jan. 16—and spotted on YouTube and LiveDigital Jan. 8.

Calling 24's two-night season premiere "one of Fox's most highly anticipated television series of 2007," 20th Century Fox executive Jane Sunderland declared in the subpoenas that the leaks caused "irreparable harm" to the company. Although Jack Bauer fans who weren't fully prepared for the sight of a nuclear explosion in Los Angeles presumably didn't do too well, either.

The YouTube subpoena was said to have been first sniffed out on Wednesday by Steve Bryant's Google Watch, which reported Thursday on a move that showed Google was doing anything but backing away from its $1.65 billion acquisition, occasional controversies or no.

As of Thursday, GoogleWatch reported, YouTube videos can now be found through Google Video's search.

Well, most YouTube videos, anyway.

For the sixth-season premiere of 24, you might want to wait for the reruns.