Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert Called To Testify In YouTube Suit

If the names "Google" and "YouTube" weren't enough to draw attention to a copyright lawsuit, now there are two more reasons for pretty much everyone to keep an eye on Viacom's copyright infringement lawsuit.

Comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert may testify.

YouTube listed the two comedy show hosts, who are extremely popular in online clips, as witnesses in its defense. Their names appeared on a deposition list filed the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York last week.

In turn, Viacom plans to depose a few more Internet superstars: Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as CEO Eric Schmidt. Page, Brin, and Schmidt are not normally accessible to members of the press and tend to keep tight reins on how their personas, statements, and their company are represented.

Viacom sued Google and YouTube in March, saying that YouTube airs its content without paying for it.

YouTube aired numerous clips of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and shorts from The Colbert Report before taking many of them down.

Google sought dismissal of the lawsuit back in May. It has defended itself against by stating that it takes down copyrighted footage soon after receiving notice that the content was uploaded without permission. YouTube is also claiming the content falls under fair-use protections.

Silicon Alley has posted the complete list of witnesses (PDF) called by both sides.