With the broadcast and cable networks turning their backs on YouTube (see yesterday’s story), Google CEO Eric Schmidt promised that the video site’s much-anticipated copyright filtering tools are “going to roll out very soon” and they’re “one of the company’s highest priorities.” YouTube’s biggest mistake was promising the technology — which would identify copyrighted video by unique “fingerprints” — would roll out at the first of the year. Since then, Viacom has pulled all its clips, CBS’ deal is “unraveling” and NBCU’s lawyers have told the site to remove all its video.
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