YouTube not to blame for copyright breaches - ECJ

YouTube just scored a big win in Europe.

The EU's top court on Tuesday (June 22) ruled that it and similar online platforms are not responsible for uploads that breach copyright - at least in some circumstances.

YouTube found itself in the dock after a music producer sued it and parent firm Google in Germany.

He was angry that users had uploaded material for which he owned the rights.

In a second case, publishing group Elsevier sued file-hosting service Cyando over similar allegations.

German courts referred both cases to the European level.

On Tuesday (June 22) the European Court of Justice said that YouTube and the like were not themselves breaching copyright if users posted illegal material.

However, the ruling said platforms would be liable if they contributed to the content beyond merely making their services available for uploads.