For Google, which just got hit by a billion-dollar copyright claim from Viacom, here's a suggestion: retaliate in kind. Sumner Redstone's media congomerate — which accused Google's Youtube video site of standing by while its users pirated clips from MTV and Comedy Central shows — has itself borrowed from the competition. Clips from programs like the Daily Show can now be embedded on fans' blogs. Now, the embed code — a snippet which allows video to be viewed, as if through a window, on any site — is in widespread use. Everybody hates an internet company for patenting a technique so obvious and ubiquitous. However, one assumes Youtube patented some of its intellectual property, and Google, which acquired Youtube last year for $1.65bn, might be forgiven if it pursues claims against Viacom as aggressively as the media company is pursuing it for copyright violation.

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