Andy Sellars on Garcia v. Google

BETABOSTON | Court Ruling in YouTube Takedown Case a Major Free-Speech Victory  | May 18, 2015  | Clinical Fellow Andy Sellars covered the Ninth Circuit’s long-awaited en banc opinion in the case, Garcia v. Google, in BetaBoston. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit had previously enjoined YouTube from hosting the controversial Innocence of Muslims video, which received worldwide attention in September 2012 for its disparaging remarks about the Prophet Mohammed. Plaintiff Cindy Lee Garcia, an actress who appeared in Innocence of Muslims, claimed a copyright interest in the film based on her performance and used that purported copyright as grounds to demand YouTube remove the video. In his analysis, Andy describes the legal and factual background of the case and explores the interplay between copyright protection and free expression.