Dirty Laundry to be Aired in Viacom, YouTube Suit

Information expected to be unsealed Thursday stemming from a legal battle with media icon Viacom will reportedly expose YouTube (News - Alert) “secrets” and other confidential information.

The Associated Press reported that the information is expected to reveal evidence that Viacom and Google (News - Alert)-owned YouTube have collected to prove their respective points, but have kept under wraps so far during their three-year-old dispute over copyright law.

The touchy material will be released because the embattled media companies are citing some of the documents as they try to persuade U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton in New York to decide the case without a trial, the AP reported Thursday. Stanton isn’t likely to decide on a so-called summary judgment for several more months.

Viacom, owner of Paramount Pictures (News - Alert) and Comedy Central, argues YouTube showed copyright-protected clips without permission. YouTube maintains it followed copyright laws governing the Internet, according to the AP.