YouTube has been blocked by Brazil's two largest telephone operators, Brasil Telecom and Telefônica, in response to a court order banning a steamy video of MTV host and supermodel Daniela Cicarelli, the telephone companies announced today.

The popular video shows Cicarelli and Merrill Lynch investment banker Renato Malzoni in intimate scenes along a beach near the Spanish city of Cadiz. The viewing of the video worldwide exploded over the weekend after the Brazil ban made headlines around the world.

Mr. Zuliani, a local judge in Brazil ordered YouTube to prevent the video from being seen by Brazilians. The judge also said fixed-line operators that provide Internet access must take part in the ban until YouTube can prove that the clip cannot be viewed in Brazil on its site.

YouTube said last week that it took down links to the video and did not respond to messages seeking comment on today's development.

Zuliani's order is temporary and will be reviewed by a judicial panel, however, it is not known when this will take place or how long the YouTube ban will last.

Cicarelli and Malzoni sued YouTube in September and won an injunction for the removal of the video. Based on a second request by Malzoni, the Brazilian court last week expanded his order to include the telecommunications companies after the clip continued to appear periodically.

The steamy video can be seen in places like here:

Peter Rost, M.D., is a former Vice President of Pfizer. He is the author of "The Whistleblower, Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman."He also writes the daily Dr. Peter Rost blog.

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Questions
written by bowman, January 08, 2007

I raised some questions about this in my blog (in portuguese): http://quantocustalafora.blogs...urado.html

I see a problem of jurisdiction in that decision. Youtube, Inc. was sued in september, before being bought by Google and before having relations with Brazil. That sounds very dangerous. I hope it doesn't stand.

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sumo.tv takes over from youtube.com in brasil
written by adam, January 09, 2007

Hey
we noticed a MASSIVE rise in traffic from Brasil on www.sumo.tv , no doubt from the failing of youtube.com, plus of course we can get people on TV in brasil instead of just being "famous" online

We too were cited in a Brasilian court order but resolved it with all parties very amicably and to their satisfaction way back in last year.

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...
written by alltheway, January 09, 2007

Why the ruling ?, the law everywhere has ruled if you are in public you have no legal expectation of privacy, hence all the street cameras and listenning devices in the U.K. and the states for example, etc..

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written by bo, January 09, 2007

that's brazil alltheway. The gov't. here decides on what people have access to, a true absurdity. The brazilian gov't. is starting to resemble the old U.S.S.R!

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The whole stuff turns viral
written by Mengas, January 11, 2007

There's also something funny about all this mess... The health secretary of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (in the south of Brazil) has made a parody video (that can only be viewed on You Tube) with the goal of educate about the dengue fever, a virus which can by hosted by the Aedes aegypti, a mosquito specie found at the state. Escala, the advertising agency that produced the video, claims that they want to take advantage of the viral marketing. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsegA8ijcNQ

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Cicarelli and Malzoni
written by Cesar Brauer, March 11, 2007

It's really a pitty that such retrograde legal stuff bans scenes like this, beautiful love making. Interesting is that anyone can see horrible violence and people saying terrible things, even about Buddhists! But these 2 lovers in peace and being healthy and happy, no, can't be seen. I think they don't want people to learn what happiness is. Unless they can turn it into porn and profit, selling it, it can't be seen? Ridiculous. Besides, I am proud of these lovers ... beautiful happy people.

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Cicarelli and Malzoni
written by Cesar Brauer, March 11, 2007

I am sorry ... I read the whole thing again (and one interview she gave elsewhere) and I understood it better - the lovers sued YouTube ... ridiculous. It brings up a lot of questions now, about their integrity. Is it about money? Publicity? Or what? They could have just smiled and said 'yes, we are happy and in love and celebrating it'. This story of 'invasion of privacy' when they were doing the good, the bad and the beautiful in public? Come on! Give me a break. Now, after the romantic impression they brought to me I am just disgusted about them. They are full of BS! Rent a motel room next time, fools!

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