British football’s top clubs start action in US court over fans circulating footage of matches- By Richard Osley

For football fans who haven’t shelled out for a subscription to a sports channel or fallen asleep on the couch before their team’s game is featured on Match of the Day, YouTube has provided the perfect - albeit unofficial - catch-up service.

Supporters have been logging on and watching match highlights at their convenience. Last weekend, a clip of nearly every Premiership goal was uploaded to the site by fans, and many from the lower divisions and Scottish leagues as well. (Read full article…)

Premier League takes Google-owned video site to court for allegedly encouraging copyright infringement.

Plaintiffs including English soccer’s Premier League sued Google Inc.’s YouTube Friday for copyright infringement, the second such legal challenge to the popular video site in two months.

According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Football Association Premier League Ltd, better known as the English Premier League, and music publisher Bourne Co. sued YouTube.

The lawsuit charges that YouTube deliberately encourages massive copyright infringement on its Web site to generate public attention and boost traffic. This has resulted in the loss of valuable content, the complaint said. (Read full article…)

Milan’s clinical defeat of United was a sight to behold, says Hasan Saiyid

So, here we are again: Milan and Liverpool striving for the Champions League in a foreign city, which is now Athens not Istanbul. A few days ago I had suggested that Milan would spoil hopes of an all-English Final and show the requisite skill to get past Manchester United in the semi-final.

It appears I was slightly conservative in my forecast. Milan not only defeated United, they skinned them. The 3-0 demolition of United at the San Siro was a triumph of technique and toughness. The technique was provided by the usual suspects in Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, and Clarence Seedorf. The accompanying toughness was provided by Gennaro Gattuso in another snarling display of midfield devastation. Massimo Ambrosini chipped in also with clean and crunching tackles, but Gattuso’s application was a sight that rivaled the pyrotechnics of Kaka and company.

(Read full article…)