WebProNews

Flach Film, a Paris-based film distributor, has filed suit against Google in Paris Commercial court, citing copyright infringement regarding a movie that appeared on Google Video.

Le Monde Selon Bush (The World According to Bush) is a Flach produced documentary that takes a critical viewpoint toward the presidency of George W. Bush. The movie is available for distribution in theatres and on DVD, but recently it made an appearance on Google Video, drawing more than 43,000 views in its brief stint on the video sharing site.

In an unprecedented move, the French don't seem to be backing down in their posture toward the unauthorized film showings. In response, Flach Film filed a copyright infringement suit in Paris Commercial Court.

The Parisian distribution house is seeking to recoup losses it has incurred by not being compensated for the display of the film on Google Video. Once Google was made aware of the unauthorized copies of the film, they were removed from the site.

During a recent quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Google revealed that it was the subject of a lawsuit regarding a single video that briefly appeared on the site. It still remains unclear if Le Monde Selon Bush is the film in question, or if these are new legal developments for Google.

I think, however, that this is a poorly calculated move by the French film company. They should be ecstatic at the opportunity for their product to be viewed by a captive and diverse online audience. This could be the opportunity for widely unheralded French cinematic endeavors to find new life.

Personally, I'm holding out for a Google Video release of the 1980 classic flick, La Boum, featuring the debut performance of a young and precociously talented Sophie Marceau.

Perhaps Gerard Depardieu should contact his people about Google Video distribution as well.

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit | Furl

Joe is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.