The legal team for Google-owned video streaming giant YouTube has argued that the platform is not liable for cryptocurrency scams involving its published third-party content.
According to a report by Law360 on July 21, YouTube has urged a California federal judge to toss claims that it should have “prevented cryptocurrency scammers” from impersonating the blockchain payments startup Ripple Labs Inc.
The statement follows a lawsuit filed on behalf of Ripple and CEO Brad Garlinghouse against YouTube in April, arguing that the platform had failed to stop XRP scammers and impersonators. The Ripple suit claimed YouTube had benefited from crypto scams and impersonations by collecting profit on ads and generating content views.
YouTube’s legal team countered the suit with a dismissal bid on the grounds of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which serves to protect platform publishers from being liable for third parties.
YouTube argued that scam and impersonation channels represented content created by third parties, regardless of the platform’s “unwitting verification.” The legal team concluded the platform had no liability, as Ripple failed to allege YouTube “solicited, encouraged, or participated in the third-party fraudsters’ scam.”
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