Google has scored a victory in its legal battle with Viacom, as one of Viacom's partners in the lawsuit has withdrawn from the case.
The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) has decided not to participate in the Viacom lawsuit, first launched in 2007. The NMPA represents music publishers who help songwriters publish their works.
Viacom has already lost the first round of battle in court after the judge decided that YouTube was protected by the safe harbor provisions of the DMCA, but has since then filed an appeal.
But now, Viacom will have to continue without one of its key partners. In a press release, the NMPA revealed that they had reached a resolution with Google in the matter, although details of the agreement is confidential. The press release failed to mention financial settlements in relation to past infringements that the NMPA had accused YouTube of committing, with the only "concession" being that Google will now allow music publishers to "enter into a License Agreement with YouTube and receive royalties from YouTube for musical works in videos posted on the site", a program that's very similar to what's already place.
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