Privacy Advocates? Win! Viacom, parent company of MTV and BET, recently sued Google, owner of YouTube, for copyright infringement, demanding that Google submit users’ information so they can be tracked down and beheaded for watching Linkin Park and Hanna Montana videos for free. Google’s response: PISS OFF.

From BBC:

Viacom ‘backs off’ YouTube demand
Google
Google bought YouTube in 2006

Viacom has “backed off” from demands to divulge the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched a video on YouTube, the website has claimed.

Google had been ordered to provide personal details of millions of YouTube users to help Viacom prepare its case on alleged copyright infringement.

Google, owners of YouTube, will now hand over the database but without data that could identify users.

Viacom has a $1bn (£497m) copyright infringement lawsuit against Google.

A class action by other organisations including the English Premier League has also agreed to the new terms.

“We are pleased to report that Viacom, MTV and other litigants have backed off their original demand for all users’ viewing histories and we will not be providing that information,” said a statement on the YouTube blog.

The decision will be welcomed by privacy activists, many of whom expressed concern over a US judge’s order for Google to provide the data in early July.

Continuing battle

YouTube, which was bought by Google in 2006, is in battle with Viacom, which owns MTV and Paramount Pictures, over alleged copyright infringement.

Viacom alleges clips from its programmes have been viewed on YouTube without its consent.

When it initiated legal action in March 2007, it said it had identified about 160,000 unauthorised clips of its programmes on the website, which had been viewed more than 1.5 billion times.

Following the launch of its billion-dollar lawsuit, YouTube introduced filtering tools in an effort to prevent content that infringes copyright from appearing on the site.

Viacom had said it wanted the log data to “compare the attractiveness of allegedly infringing video with that of non-infringing videos”.

But privacy activists argued in response that the original order “threatens to expose deeply private information” and was in breach of a 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act, which was passed after the rental habits of a Supreme Court nominee were publicised.

The new ruling means that Google will still have to hand over the data logs but in an “anonymized form”, meaning YouTube can swap user logins and IP addresses with other random signifiers

An earlier Viacom request that Google be forced to hand over the source code of YouTube has already been denied by a US court on the grounds it is a “trade secret”.

Despite Tuesday’s agreement, the companies are yet to agree the process of information disclosure regarding viewing of YouTube clips by employees of YouTube and Google. This is expected to be settled in the coming weeks.

The cases are expected to come to trial in 2009 or 2010.

Coheed and Cambria are on some other shit.

NEVERENDER is an event created by the band in which this progressive rock juggernaut will, for the first time ever, perform live over four nights all four of their concept records in their entirety. The albums will be played in order from beginning to end. Each night’s production will be specifically catered to the record being performed. Tickets for the shows go on sale on Friday July 18 at 1pm EST through Ticketmaster. A special, limited VIP package will be offered via the band’s ticket site. The package includes tickets for all four nights, early entry to the shows, a VIP laminate, an intimate acoustic performance, an exclusive poster and a meet and greet with the band. These tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 15 at 1pm EST. The full NEVERENDER itinerary is below.

“NEVERENDER came about because the band wanted to celebrate the end of the Coheed and Cambria saga in a special way,” says Coheed frontman Claudio Sanchez. “We wanted to come up with an idea that paid proper respect to this phase of our career, while at the same time gave our fans something truly unique and different. Many of these songs have never been played in front of an audience before so I think we’re going to be freaking out at the same time our fans are. It’s going to be a major challenge. We’re psyched our fans have been so loyal and amazing. We figured they deserved this.”

NEVERENDER is the culmination of 10 months of touring the world (including a month of US arena dates opening for Linkin Park this past winter) in support of the band’s latest record, No World for Tomorrow. The record represents the final chapter of The Amory Wars, the brutally tragic sci-fi tale of Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon and their family, a story that wraps all of the band’s concept albums into one.

“We’re really looking forward to going deep and revisiting not only the songs, but also the story,” Sanchez offers. “Interestingly enough, us going over all the old material seems to be influencing our writing of the next record, which we’re sort of doing simultaneously. And to me, that seems appropro since the next story is the prequel to The Amory Wars.”

The NEVERENDER dates are as follows:

New York - Terminal 5

Oct 22
The Second Stage Turbine Blade

Oct 23
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3

Oct 24
Good Apollo…

Oct 25
No World For Tomorrow

Los Angeles - The Avalon

Nov 5
The Second Stage Turbine Blade

Nov 6
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3

Nov 7
Good Apollo…

Nov 8
No World For Tomorrow

Linkin Park is hitting the road again for the 2008 Projekt Revolution tour which kicks off in Boston on July 16. Here’s the press release from our friend Mike Moses:

Los Angeles, CA (April 3, 2008) – Multi-platinum two-time Grammy-winning rock band Linkin Park has announced the much-anticipated lineup for Projekt Revolution 2008. The fifth installation of the band’s raging road show will see them headlining an all-star bill that features former Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell, electro-rockers The Bravery and Ashes Divide, featuring Billy Howerdel, known for his work with A Perfect Circle. The Revolution stage will be headlined by metallic act Atreyu and features hard hitters 10 Years, fiery Ohio natives Hawthorne Heights and buzz band Armor For Sleep. Also performing will be percussive force Street Drum Corps. The tour launches July 16 at the Tweeter Center in Boston.

In keeping with the theme of revolution, Linkin Park is teaming with Live Nation and giving back to their fans by picking up the tab for the service fees normally tacked onto concert ticket prices. This precedent-setting no-service-charge limited time offer is available for artist fan club members anxious to purchase tickets to the upcoming tour. Beginning at 10AM on April 4th, fans can take advantage of Linkin Park’s special offer to cover the cost of extra fees by pre-ordering tickets at www.lpunderground.com or www.livenation.com. Tickets for select dates go on sale nationally beginning April 11th – go to www.linkinpark.com, www.projektrevolution.com or www.livenation.com for show dates and on-sale information in each area.

“As a thank you to our fan club, we’re picking up part of the tab for their tickets to this summer’s Projekt Revolution,” says Linkin Park co-frontman Mike Shinoda. “We’ll be paying the service charge on fanclub pre-sale tickets, which will save each fan roughly $8-11. Our fan club has been incredibly loyal and supportive, and we hope this gesture lets them know how much we appreciate them.”

In addition, Linkin Park is once again offering their fans the option of purchasing the Digital Souvenir Package, a groundbreaking promotion that provides concert-goers with a special post-gig memento: a live audio download and exclusive concert photos of that night’s performance by Linkin Park, as well as a digital tour program. In short, it provides a live experience that concertgoers will never forget.

Produced by Live Nation and partnered with Major League Baseball, Monster Energy Drink, Verizon Wireless and Nowwhat.com, Projekt Revolution 2008 sees Linkin Park building upon the success and excitement of previous Revolution tours, which included artists such as My Chemical Romance, Korn, Snoop Dogg, HIM, Xzibit and Mudvayne, among others.

“We started Projekt Revolution six years ago and have been lucky to have toured with some great bands,” says Linkin Park co-frontman Chester Bennington. “This year, however, might just be the best lineup yet. We’re looking forward to taking this show on the road and bringing great music to the masses.”

Last month Linkin Park took a break from their headlining tour in support of new album MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT and traveled to New Orleans to help families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The band joined volunteers from Music for Relief, and Habitat homeowner families from New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity to build homes in the damaged Gulf Coast area. Prior to that, Linkin Park’s nonprofit organization, Music For Relief, initiated a partnership with Hollywood for Habitat For Humanity to fund and build homes in hurricane ravaged areas. Additionally, Linkin Park recently donated $1 from each ticket sold on their European & UK, U.S. & Canadian headlining dates to Music for Relief for a tree-planting initiative.

With Projekt Revolution 2008, Linkin Park continues to give back, as $1 from every ticket sold will go toward Music for Relief to support disaster relief and reduce global warming. In just over a year Music For Relief has raised over $1 million for reforestation, planting over 797,000 trees. Music For Relief endeavors to help victims recover and rebuild following natural disasters but also works to reduce global warming. During Projekt Revolution 2008, Music for Relief will continue its grassroots outreach to fans to educate them on how to reduce their own carbon emissions and how those changes can have a global effect.

Tour dates are as follows:

Date City Venue

7/16 Boston, MA Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
7/18 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
7/19 Philadelphia, PA Susquehana Bank Center
7/20 Hartford, CT New England Dodge Music Center
7/22 New York, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
7/23 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/25 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
7/26 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
7/27 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
7/30 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/1 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre
8/2 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
8/3 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheatre
8/7 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
8/9 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
8/10 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/12 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
8/15 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
8/16 Chicago, IL Alpine Valley Music Theatre
8/17 Indianaplis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center Indianapolis
8/19 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
8/21 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis
8/23 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center
8/24 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Linkin Park did a secret show at Apple’s Soho store that’s now available on iTunes as an exclusive 6 song EP. Check out the clip from the “Live From Soho” EP.

The 2008 US Arena Tour is almost wrapped up - you can still check them out along with Coheed and Cambria & Chiodos at the following dates:
03.04.2008 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
03.06.2008 Las Vegas, NV The Joint
03.07.2008 Las Vegas, NV The Joint
03.08.2008 West Valley City, UT The E Center / E Center / E-Center
03.10.2008 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena