Viacom is getting pissed off at YouTube, and has decided to shakedown its parent company Google Inc. for $1 billion in damages for stealing its programming. Viacom says there are more than 160,000 clips of its programming on YouTube, including segments from VH1, Nickelodeon and especially Comedy Central.

The dustup is getting ugly, with Viacom spitting out invective left and right, whining that YouTube "built a lucrative business out of exploiting the devotion of fans to others' creative works in order to enrich itself and its corporate parent Google."

There they go again, the old guard clinging to antiquated business models. It'll work for a while. – Charlie White

Viacom sues Google, YouTube for $1 billion [MSNBC]

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