Actress Sues YouTube for ‘Anti-Muslim’ Clip

09 2012 Thursday

YouTube is facing a lawsuit for failing to remove clips of an actress who appeared in the anti-Muslim film “The Innocence of Muslims.”

Cindy Lee Garcia claims she was cast in the movie after responding to an ad for a film called “Desert Warrior,” Media Post News reports. Garcia said she was led to believe the production was to be “an adventure film … about ancient Egyptians.” The actress said the final version of the film makes it seem as though she “voluntarily performed in a hateful anti-Islamic production.”

Garcia, who has also sued the film’s producer, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, says she has received death threats since the film was posted to YouTube and is no longer able to babysit her grandchildren as a result. She also claims to have lost her job over security concerns triggered by her appearance in the movie.

Google Inc., who owns YouTube, recently ignored a request by the White House to remove the video, although the company did opt to block it in a number of Muslim countries including Egypt and Libya where American embassies have been besieged by protesters.

Garcia’s complaint, filed Sept. 18 in a Los Angeles court, states YouTube ignored her request to remove the film. Garcia contends YouTube’s refusal to remove the film infringes on her right to control the commercial use of her image, which some courts “consider a form of intellectual property,” the story states.

YouTube has yet to respond to the lawsuit.