September 26, 2025. Marks & Sokolov, LLC secured dismissal with prejudice of claims by Google, LLC against Russian media companies ANO TV-Novosti and NO Fond Pravoslavnogo Televideniya (“NFPT”) in federal court in  California.

As part of the stipulated dismissal, Google dismissed its claims to stop the media companies’ efforts to enforce their Russian judgments amounting to trillion of dollars obtained in connection with Google blocking of their YouTube content outside of Russia. Importantly, the stipulation imposes no restrictions on the media companies’ continued enforcement of their judgments across the globe. The dismissal of claims against TV-Novosti is stayed until confirmed by OFAC.

Background of the Case

The dispute traces back to 2020, when YouTube, a Google venture, began blocking channels operated by Russian media outlets. In response, these Russian media organizations filed lawsuits in Russian courts, arguing that YouTube had violated its own Terms of Service by removing their content. The Russian courts ordered Google to reinstate the blocked YouTube channels and awarded penalties for each week of non-compliance. As the fines accrued because of Google’s contempt, the Russian outlets launched actions to enforce and collect on their judgments in jurisdictions around the world. In response, Google filed suit in California, arguing that the Russian companies were required to bring such disputes in U.S. courts under Google’s Terms of Service. The media companies, however, contended that their legal actions stemmed from violations of YouTube’s Terms of Service, not Google’s, and, therefore, they were not subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

Marks & Sokolov LLC played a lead role in negotiating and securing this victory for its Russian clients, successfully resolving complex and expensive international litigation with a stipulated order.