“Youtube Copyright School” is a
colorful cartoon from the popular Youtube series “Happy Tree Friends” created
by MondoMedia. Initially known for being a quite graphically violent parody of
children’s cartoons, this is a G-rated PSA to inform the reader of Copyright
infringement, Fair Use, and general guidelines to posting Youtube videos. The
video follows one of the characters, Russell (using a hilarious analogy by
using a pirate as the main character) who attempts to upload various videos of
another character’s content, Lumpy.
The video is
mainly just that, a Public Service Announcement to educate people about
copyright infringement. Now, Merriam-Webster defines copyright as “the exclusive legal right to reproduce,
publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something (as a literary,
musical, or artistic work).” Likewise, Youtube Copyright School defines
copyright infringement as “occurring when a copyrighted work is distributed,
preformed, or publicly displayed without the permission of the copyright holder
or the legal right to do so.” This video isn’t making an argument so much as a
statement, but in the terms of an argument, it would be that Copyright
infringement is illegal and you will get caught if you attempt to do it. The
video itself is important because it makes a few distinctions between what is
and isn’t copyright infringement. For example, uploading an original animation
with audio from another author whose permission you did not get is still
copyright infringement, even if the visual quality is your own.
Keeping up to date on copyright laws, especially in the case
of those people who commonly post on Youtube (sometimes as a full-time job) is
very important, as it can get very messy if copyright laws are broken. It’s
also important to keep in mind that while you may think that no one might care,
or even will notice any sort of copyright on a smaller channel, it likely still
will be found and acted upon, and even if not, it is not made any more morally
just. It’s always quite disturbing to see copyright cases turn up, as it denies
the author of such content their credit for creating something that you enjoy.
It may even deny them of income that they rely on, and that’s where the
copyright laws are most effective and important.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InzDjH1-9Ns&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InzDjH1-9Ns&feature=youtu.be
So, with all that in mind, what’s the best course of action
for copyright infringement outside of Youtube? In what ways can infringement
cases be reduced or eliminated? Is there ever a time when taking an author’s
work without permission is right, and if you think so, why?
I think using a work by someone else would depend on how it's going to be used. In most cases, the original author thinks they should always be profitting from use of their work, no matter how little was used. What they should be questioning is what the intent for the use overall would be, and grant permission/make decisions based on that.
ReplyDeleteCopyright infringement I think is a little confusing. The video just seemed to show that anything you record or use, that isn't technically your work, you'll get in trouble for it. I don't agree with one getting profit off of someone else's work. It is necessary to give credit to the original owner or creator of whatever the material is that is being reproduced. I agree with the above comment that how you use the information should be taken into consideration first, before any serious action should be involved. If it used in an informative or educational way I don't think it is as serious as some other cases, where one would claim someone else's work to be theres. And in that case I agree with some of laws already in place to fine people and ban them from using sites (like Youtube).
ReplyDeleteI think that it is wrong to use someone's work as your own if you are depriving them of possible income, and especially if you are making money off of it. the easiest way to fix this problem is, in my opinion, to simply give credit to the other person in some way. I don't think it necessarily needs to be in mla format or anything formal like that, especially if we're talking about youtube videos. If you are going to use someone else's work, just mention in the comments where that material came from, and people who liked it will check it out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matt in terms of using someone elses work, and claiming it as your own in order to generate some form of profit. It just seems lazy in my opinion. However, copyright really doesn't make it clear for those who would like to create a work that is new that based of something old. In this digital age, youtube videos fall victim to this fault all the time. Plus, in music, sampling runs into the same type of problems. Yet, the copyright laws need to be in place because we would just run rampant if there were no barriers.
ReplyDelete