Google is facing a legal challenge over its Google Video service after a copyright owner claimed that the search giant is liable for an illegal video upload, the company disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week.

Downplaying the threat, a Google spokesman told vnunet.com: "This is a small lawsuit over a single video that appeared briefly. 

"We have procedures in place that allow copyright owners to tell us if their content is placed on Google Video without authorisation. When we receive appropriate notice, we quickly remove the content from Google Video."

The legal challenge illustrates the problems the firm is facing with Google Video as well as last month's acquisition of YouTube. 

Critics have pointed out that the risks for Google have increased after the YouTube acquisition, as copyright holders are more likely to go after Google than a cash strapped start-up. 

YouTube is facing a lawsuit from Robert Tur, a Los Angeles journalist who filed a copyright infringement case against the video sharing service in July.

Google and YouTube actively remove content from their services when asked to do so, but require the copyright holders to first file a complaint.

YouTube removed 29,000 videos last month following a complaint by the Japanese Society for the Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers.

The service has also removed a large amount of videos in recent weeks from the Viacom owned Comedy Central cable channel in the US.

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