Toronto's 'Officer Bubbles' sues YouTube

The Toronto policeman dubbed "Officer Bubbles" over an incident during the G20 summit has launched a million-dollar lawsuit against popular website YouTube.

Const. Adam Josephs filed a $1.2-million lawsuit over cartoons that have surfaced since the incident.

Josephs received the nickname after a video showed him telling a young female protesterthat she could be arrested for blowingbubbles.

"If the bubble touches me, you're going to be arrested for assault," he told her. "It's a deliberate act on your behalf, I'm going to arrest you."

The officer is suing the website over cartoons which he claims depict an officer resembling him abusing police power. Cartoons have surfaced showing a policemanarresting such people as Santa Claus and Barack Obama.

Josephs said in a statement of claim the cartoons have subjected him to ridicule and resulted in threats against him and his family.

"This level of ridicule goes beyond what is reasonable," James Zibarras, the officer's lawyer, told the Globe and Mail. "The reason we brought the lawsuit is that people have the right to protect themselves against this kind of harassment."

Josephs also wants YouTube to reveal the identity of the person behind the account where the cartoons originated. The cartoons no longer appear on the site.