Dear Google: This is about as evil as you can get.
If google didn't agree to the ContentID system, Viacom would have most likely been able to strip them of their safe harbor status.
And that means the end of Youtube.
Yeah, something needs to be done, but having humans review takedowns just doesn't work at this scale, and if they aren't extremely over zealous about taking things down, they will be shut down.
Google is under the thumb of Viacom and other big media companies, and there really isn't anything they can do about it except agree or close up shop.
(Mind you, I think that there are definitely ways that Google can improve the situation, and that they should be pressured to do so, but it's not as simple as saying they are "evil")
Apple seems willing to fight legal battles on moral grounds; why won't Google?
Re Apple. You sure they were fighting that battle on moral grounds because the CEO said nice things? Apple's been happy to do similar things for Chinese, lie about need for Mac security, squeeze extra money using Foxconn workers' misery, reduce number of buyers by charging luxury prices, and so on. They're not ethical in the least. That is probably a greedy corporation rolling in money ensuring it will continue to do so by positioning itself as a private alternative to Android. It's... Marketing.
Are there any public examples of them doing this for someone?
Because that is a really awesome thing to pledge, but without public actions backing it up it's an empty promise.
This is just a small taste.