For quite some time now, we all have been reading a $1 billion copyright infringement suit against Google's YouTube filed by Viacom, and it seems that the latter might have found evidence that YouTube employees themselves uploaded Viacom content to the site. 

The sources who are familiar with the whole matter, but wanted to stay anonymous, explained the evidence is found in emails, which point that YouTube mangers were aware and discussed the presence of unauthorized content on the site with employees but decided not to remove the material. 

"Such actions could remove YouTube's "safe harbor" protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which says service providers are not liable for infringing content posted by users of their services," said the sources. 

YouTube spokesman Aaron Zamost described the characterizations of the supposed evidence, made in violation of a court order as wrong and misleading. He said that it also lacked important context and notably came on the heels of a series of significant setbacks for the plaintiffs. 

Even when evidence may reflect that Viacom employees also uploaded the company's content to YouTube, the company has stayed stringent that this does not weaken its copyright infringement claims against YouTube.