Performances protected by copyright ? Google gets a new hearing

Google Inc. will head back to federal appeals court over the somewhat  controversial decision that forced the Internet giant to take down an anti-Muslim video earlier this year. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has confirmed that it will rehear the case that sided with an actress featured in an inflammatory movie posted on YouTube called “Innocence of Muslims.” In February, the court’s 2-1 decision  (with the original and amended rulings by Judge Alex Kozinski for the majority) said Cindy Lee Garcia had never consented to being in the movie and her performance could be protected by copyright law.  The court will rehear the case en banc, though the current injunction against Google does remain in place.