Vimeo / Youtube questions. Copyright? R rated material? Any alternatives?

D

derbrocks09

Well-known member
I'm not sure if this is the proper forum for this question but here it goes.

It's my understanding that when you upload your videos to a Youtube and Vimeo you give up your copyright to your film. Can anyone confirm that?

Also, do they allow R rated material on either of them?

I have a few short films I would like to put up on my website but I don't want to give up any rights. Are there alternatives to Vimeo or Youtube? Are there any web hosting services that anyone recommends that allow you to host your own videos on your own website?

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks in advance! :)
 
You don't give up your copyright, you just license them to use it. If you're concerned just read the TOS.

R Rated could mean anything. The MPAA doesn't usually weigh in on Youtube. In general, however, it's fine; Youtube may require flagging for mature content.
 
YouTube allows any manner of dialogue, from the F-word to the C-word and beyond (is there anything beyond the C-word?). No sexual nudity is allowed - AFAIK this covers the full range of body parts usually considered nudity, though exceptions are usually made for scientific, educational and other non-sexual exhibitions of nudity.

I don't particularly remember what the violence standard on YT is, if there is any. As Cassius said, it's all in the Terms of Service.
 
Great news!

Thanks everyone. Yeah my "R rating" concerns were for language only.

I'm not sure where I read that you gave up copyright when you upload a video but I was pretty sure that was the case. Are we 100% sure that is not the case? If so then my problems are solved.

Again, Thanks everyone!
 
From the YouTube TOS: Article 6, Sections B and C:

B. You shall be solely responsible for your own Content and the consequences of submitting and publishing your Content on the Service. You affirm, represent, and warrant that you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to publish Content you submit; and you license to YouTube all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to such Content for publication on the Service pursuant to these Terms of Service.

C. For clarity, you retain all of your ownership rights in your Content. However, by submitting Content to YouTube, you hereby grant YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the Content in connection with the Service and YouTube's (and its successors' and affiliates') business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels. You also hereby grant each user of the Service a non-exclusive license to access your Content through the Service, and to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform such Content as permitted through the functionality of the Service and under these Terms of Service. The above licenses granted by you in video Content you submit to the Service terminate within a commercially reasonable time after you remove or delete your videos from the Service. You understand and agree, however, that YouTube may retain, but not display, distribute, or perform, server copies of your videos that have been removed or deleted. The above licenses granted by you in user comments you submit are perpetual and irrevocable.

(bolds and underlines mine)

By uploading content, you retain the copyright, but you license use of the content to YouTube, who can then do a multitude of things with it - including use it for promotional purposes.

When it all comes down, YouTube isn't going to "steal" your work, and even if they did, you would have a clear case in court, despite their deep pockets. I've never seen or heard of YouTube taking a person's content and using it for purposes the content provider did not approve of. The only problem is really with other users, who are granted license to basically re-cut or spoof the content. However, YouTube usually helps content providers deal with this if users move past spoofing and into copyright infringement.

Also, as you can see in the boldified line near the end of Section C, you can deal with any of these problems (and ultimately revoke YT's license to use the content) by deleting or removing it from YT.

Hope that clarifies things. Basically, there's nothing to worry about. Hundreds of truly amazing short films have been uploaded to YouTube, including some Oscar-winning short films, and I doubt any of them have issues with copyright infringement or theft.
 
If it's your website and you have the area, you can certainly play the movies from your own website without going through a 3rd party like Youtube.
 
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