What is copyright? Copyright is a form of protection provided for original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, graphic and audiovisual creations. "Copyright" literally means the right to copy, but has come to mean that body of exclusive rights granted by law to copyright owners for protection of their work.
What is copyright infringement? Copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner.
Posting copyright-infringing content can lead to the termination of your account, and possibly monetary damages if a copyright owner decides to take legal action (this is serious—you can get sued!).
As a general matter, we respect the rights of artists and creators, and hope you will work with us to keep this site a creative, legal and positive experience for everyone, including artists and creators.
How To Make Sure Your Video Does Not Infringe Someone Else's Copyrights
The way to ensure that your video doesn't infringe someone else's copyright is to use your skills and imagination to create something completely original. It could be as simple as taping a lecture, and as complicated as filming your own short movie with a script, actors, and the whole works. If it's all yours, you never have to worry about the copyright—you own it! Make sure to follow the other guidelines in the terms of use, too.
Be sure that all components of your video are your original creation—even the audio portion. For example, if you use an audio track of a sound recording owned by a record label without that record label's permission, your video may be infringing the copyrights of others, and may be subject to removal.
Your Rights To Stream Copyrighted Media As An Educator
As an educator at an accredited college, you have access to federal copyright
exemptions that permit you to share copyrighted material that would otherwise be
prohibited by law. These rights do come with requirements and limitations, which
are detailed below.
- All content must be acquired legally. Federal copyright exemptions do not apply
to media that was obtained without license.
- If your media includes a license that explicitly forbids online redistribution,
or explicitly limits viewing to face-to-face exhibition, that media may not be
placed online without first obtaining a license permitting that use.
- Media obtained through unprotected channels, including material copied from VHS,
from unprotected DVD discs, from online sources, or recorded via screen capture
may be placed online in their entirety (please see the tutorial in the
MediaShare Support channel for more information). In order to be exempted from
copyright claims, the following requirements must be met according to 17 USC §
110, Part 2: The material must be offered as part of, and be directly related
to, a course that you are currently teaching. Access to the material must be
limited to students enrolled in the course.
- Material "ripped" directly from CSS encrypted DVD's enjoy special protections
and extra limitations under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA
criminalizes the breaking of the copy protection systems on DVD media, but the
Library of Congress issued an exemption in July 2010 that provides colleges and
universities with the following exceptions: You may only remove the media in
"short portions", so you cannot directly extract an entire protected disc and
place it online. Material can be copied only if it is used as part of a larger
work, such as a lecture, a larger media presentation, etc. "Ripped" material may
be used to enhance your own creative works, but cannot be used on their own.
It's important to understand that media on CSS encrypted DVD's can be placed
online in their entirety under the terms of Article 3 above IF the material can
be captured without breaking or tampering with the copy protection systems on
the DVD. This can often be accomplished by connecting a DVD player to a
computer, or by using screen capture software. The Article 4 limitations only
apply if you are using DVD "ripping" software to directly duplicate
protected media from a CSS protected disc using methods that remove or disable
the copy protection technology.
Questions
How can I tell if a video is copyrighted? In general, any original work of authorship may be protected by copyright. The easiest way to tell is to contact the original creator and ask.
What will happen if I upload infringing content? Anytime we become aware that any audio or video, or any part of an audio or video file, on this site infringes on the copyrights of a third party,
we will deactivate it on the site as required by law. If we receive a copyright
complaint about material you have posted, we may temporarily suspend access to
the media while we investigate the infringement claim. Infringing material will
be removed from the server if it does not meet the copyright exemption
requirements outlined above.
Does YCCD have any policies regarding Copyright? Yes, the "Copyright" section of Board Procedure 2720 addresses copyright violations, and both district colleges have policies in place addressing the use of copyrighted material. Please inquire with your colleges administration for more information.
My video is licensed for educational and/or classroom use. May I place it here? Generally, VHS and DVD video material licensed for classroom use may not be openly broadcast across the Internet
unless it's protected. MediaShare is equipped with security features which allow the limited redistribution of audio and video files to on-campus users or preapproved users only, and this may satisfy
most licenses. Some newer licences specifically prohibit any online
streaming, because the publishers want you to purchase a seperate license for
online usage. Please read your license carefully to determine whether it may be placed on this server. Remember: When in doubt, contact the publisher and ask.