The National Legal and Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based legal watchdog group, has presented members of Congress with a report detailing Google's role in the film industry's copyright violations. NLPC contends that Google Video and the video-sharing Web site YouTube are hurting copyright by hosting infringing material.

Between Sept. 10 and 18, NLPC spot-checked Google Video to discover that it hosts 300 instances of copyrighted films, including more than 60 movies released this year. These have already received more than 22 million views.

In addition, NLPC says Google promised to launch a filtering system by September to prevent pirated material from being uploaded to YouTube. The technology has not been implemented on either of Google's two online video properties.

According to NLPC, such evidence raises serious concerns about Google's purported commitment to copyright protection. According to NLPC Chairman Ken Boehm, "Google's seemingly indifferent attitude toward Internet video piracy has resulted in a legitimization or ‘mainstreaming' of video piracy, which will have broad and damaging implications for all intellectual-property owners." NLPC asks Congress to pay close attention to Google and other Internet leaders with similar practices, and to take strong and enforceable measures to protect intellectual property online.