YouTube and Google Win Lawsuit in Free Speech Battle

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that YouTube should not have been forced to take down an anti-Muslim film that sparked violence in the Middle East and death threats to actors in a victory for free speech advocates.
The ninth US circuit court of appeal sided with Google, which owns YouTube, after free speech advocates urged the court to overturn a 2-1 decision by three of its judges. The three judges had ordered YouTube to take down the video.
Actress Cindy Lee Garcia wanted Innocence of Muslims removed from the site after receiving death threats. Her lawyer argued she had a copyright claim to the low-budget film because she believed she was acting in a different production. Google argued Garcia had no claim to the film because the film-maker wrote the dialogue, managed the production and dubbed over her lines.