Google Goes to Court in Italy

MILAN—Back in 2006, a group of four Turin youths insulted and physically abused a young classmate with Down syndrome so severely that the terrified boy soiled his pants. One of the four filmed 191 seconds of the unsettling episode and uploaded it to Google Video, where it remained for about two months before the company finally pulled it. Now, two and a half years later, a judge working from a dusty and worn Fascist-era courtroom in Milan will help decide whether companies like Google Video should be responsible for the content they host. At stake could be the way business on the Internet evolves over the coming years. A hearing on Wednesday confirmed that Italy is a legitimate venue for the trial, and a further hearing is scheduled for next month. The youths have been tracked down—with Google's help—and made to serve a year of community service in a center for children with Down syndrome. But the case has already evolved beyond an examination of the mistreatment of an unfortunate youngster: ... (link)