Web video firms accuse Baidu of stealing content

The biggest online video providers on the mainland are jointly seeking 300 million yuan (HK$381 million) in damages from Baidu, the country's leading search engine, which they accuse of stealing their content.

Baidu branded itself as "the world's biggest search engine for Chinese videos", but the things it did went far beyond the scope of a search engine, companies including Sohu, Tencent and Youku Tudou said.

They had launched more than a hundred legal actions against Baidu and another company, QVOD, which together had used more than 10,000 of their videos without authorisation, the companies said.

"We cannot keep competing because where thieves and robbers are having their way, law-abiding companies cannot survive," Sohu chief executive Charles Zhang said yesterday.

Baidu was the top enabler of video piracy in China via its Baidu video search, Baidu TV Stick, Baidu Yingyin desktop player and Baidu Video mobile app, the plaintiffs said in a statement.

Normal searches should provide a link and then take users to a third-party website, but Baidu directly hosted and played video content and profited from advertisements, it said, accusing Baidu of profiting from advertising revenue it shared with pirated video websites.

"I'm friends with [Baidu chairman and chief executive Robin] Li Yanhong on other things, but on the issue of piracy we have very different views," Zhang said.