Court orders Google to take down anti-Islam film

A federal appeals court in the United States has ordered Google to remove from the Internet all copies of a US-made film that disrespected Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

On Wednesday, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said a trial judge made a mistake when he refused to order the removal of the “Innocence of Muslims” from YouTube, which is owned by Google.

The court order came in the case of Cindy Lee Garcia, whose voice was dubbed over to make anti-Islam remarks in the film.

Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski said, “The film differs so radically from anything Garcia could have imagined when she was cast that it can’t possibly be authorized by any implied license she granted.”

“The situation in which a filmmaker uses a performance in a way that exceeds the bounds of the broad implied license granted by an actor will be extraordinarily rare,” Kozinski wrote. “But this is such a case.”

The blasphemous film sparked worldwide protests against the US in 2012, with protesters chanting slogans against Washington, marching on US embassies, and torching American flags.

People involved in the anti-Islam movie have said it was written and produced by 57-year-old Californian Mark Basseley, who also uses the names Nakoula Basseley Nakoula and Sam Bacile.

YouTube has been blocked in several Islamic countries since 2012 for not removing the video.