• Reuters, Tuesday, August 7, 2007 10:32 AM

Robert Tur, the photojournalist who was the first to sue YouTube for copyright violation, is planning to withdraw his suit and join a group that includes the English Premier League, music publisher Bourne & Co. and eight new parties. Tur is famous for capturing video of the attack on Reginald Denny during the 1992 L.A. Riots, and O.J. Simpson escaping in his white Ford Bronco in 1994.

Other parties joining the EPL and Bourne & Co. suit include the National Music Publishers' Association, England's Rugby Football League, the Finnish Football League and author Daniel Quinn. The group claims that Google and YouTube deliberately encourage and benefit from copyright infringement. Viacom in February also launched a $1 billion lawsuit against the companies in February.

"The clear and growing message to YouTube and Google is simple: Their callous and opportunistic business model is contrary to right, contrary to law, and must and will be stopped," Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson said in a statement. In response to the litigation, Google has cited the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which protects user-generated content sites from copyright violation as long as they take protected content down when asked.

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