Google responding to Viacom’s $1 billion copyright infringement suit over video clips on YouTube, Google said it would not back off, declaring that the law was on its side and Viacom’s claims were unfounded and asked for a judgment dismissing the complaint.

“We are not going to let this lawsuit distract us,” Michael Kwun, managing counsel for litigation at Google, told reporters.

Viacom said Google’s response misses the mark. “This response ignores the most important fact of the suit, which is that YouTube do
es not qualify for safe harbor protection under the D.M.C.A.,” Viacom said. “It is obvious that YouTube has knowledge of infringing material on their site, and they are profiting from it.”

Mr. Kwun, the Google lawyer, said there had been no talks between Google and Viacom to discuss a settlement. “We feel pretty confident about the case and are ready to take it to court,” he added.

Google has asked for a jury trial.  The New York Times