copyright infrindgment where does it begin?
- Thread starter maxham
- Start date
Nope, there is no truth to that.
You got me curious, with your various copyright questions. What is it you are trying to do?
Well here's the whole story;
I was watching a christmas special of the Nostalgia Critic (a review show on theguywiththeglasses.com) and in this special there was a lot of stock footage of holiday meyhem and people being crazy in malls during christmas and what not. I send an e-mail to the webmaster if I could use the footage. This is what he said to me in the reply:
Some of that footage was purchased from a stock footage site. You are welcome to use it with no repercussions from us, but do so at your own risk -- because some images maybe copyrighted by the original owner (company), and you will have used it without payment.
As I said, no issue from us though.
Another option maybe to go to Youtube and download some footage there. If the uploader is not from a major company, then the copyright law is really really fuzzy.
Best of luck!
Oh and what I am trying to do is make a documentary about customers and the horrors of retail so that footage would have been perfect to use as stock footage for my black friday segment. i really don't have the cash to buy copyrights so I take what I can but i want to do it legally since I plan on making this film and distributing it and selling it etc.
I was watching a christmas special of the Nostalgia Critic (a review show on theguywiththeglasses.com) and in this special there was a lot of stock footage of holiday meyhem and people being crazy in malls during christmas and what not. I send an e-mail to the webmaster if I could use the footage. This is what he said to me in the reply:
Some of that footage was purchased from a stock footage site. You are welcome to use it with no repercussions from us, but do so at your own risk -- because some images maybe copyrighted by the original owner (company), and you will have used it without payment.
As I said, no issue from us though.
Another option maybe to go to Youtube and download some footage there. If the uploader is not from a major company, then the copyright law is really really fuzzy.
Best of luck!
Oh and what I am trying to do is make a documentary about customers and the horrors of retail so that footage would have been perfect to use as stock footage for my black friday segment. i really don't have the cash to buy copyrights so I take what I can but i want to do it legally since I plan on making this film and distributing it and selling it etc.
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So you either need footage in the public domain, or footage you have permission to use.
Archive.org has the Prelinger Archives in it, which has tonnes of public domain material to go through. There's probably other sites like that, too.
Heh.
He's way wrong, there.
There probably is a lot of public domain footage on YouTube, but there's an awful lot of videos to sift through.
Then you gotta be keeping your nose clean, and use what you have permissions to use.
Good luck with it.
Archive.org has the Prelinger Archives in it, which has tonnes of public domain material to go through. There's probably other sites like that, too.
Heh.
He's way wrong, there.
There probably is a lot of public domain footage on YouTube, but there's an awful lot of videos to sift through.
Then you gotta be keeping your nose clean, and use what you have permissions to use.
Good luck with it.
How is it the law gets "fuzzy"? All that means is that they won't be as quick to sue you, but they can block your distribution for using their footage without permission regardless.
You need permission to use anyone's footage unless it is truly public domain.
On a further ethical point, stock footage in a doc is maybe not where you want to go. It wouldn't be hard to get Black Friday footage yourself...camp out at an outlet mall parking lot with a thermos of coffee.
So you either need footage in the public domain, or footage you have permission to use.
Archive.org has the Prelinger Archives in it, which has tonnes of public domain material to go through. There's probably other sites like that, too.
Heh.
He's way wrong, there.
There probably is a lot of public domain footage on YouTube, but there's an awful lot of videos to sift through.
Then you gotta be keeping your nose clean, and use what you have permissions to use.
Good luck with it.
Agreed. Doesn't sound like your budget is allotted for a really big lawsuit.
I just assume the worst when it comes to potential copyright infringement, which probably isn't smart either.
I know my own search for "royalty free" photos can get tough. I mean there tons of sites, but it can get murky. I don't know how much is in your budget for legal advice, but I would at least gather the links to the sources (writing them down, whatever), and seeing if you can get some basic advice from a copyright lawyer for an affordable price(may be an oxymoron. Some lawyers for a hundred bucks or so will sit down with you for an hour and tell you what you can and can't do).
Best case, apply to all for permissions, and see who responds positively.
I sometimes think with docs like this, it's not the filming or compiling that takes the biggest amount of time, it's actually getting your legal ducks in a row before it goes public.
It's interesting how the amount of people on the internet, accessing millions of photos, movie clips, ect, is forcing more people to take a look at exactly what you can and can't do with copyright.
I know myself, I am writing a book about masks that will (hopefully) be a nice coffee table book with pictures. I can save an image from the internet and post it on manuscript(that is totally offline). I'm doing this as a kind of mockup. The FUN part will be if/when I decide to publish, I'm going to have to track down the source of each of those photos. Are they public or private? Is simple "permission" enough for them, or do they want money? Does it fit into the "fair use"category? If I ever want this book to get out and be purchased by people, I'm going to have to dot my Ts and cross my I's legally.
While the internet has been a blessing for access, its also been a real headache for people involved in copyright(except the lawyers, they are making scads of dough!), with a picture or film grab just a mouse click away.
Best case, apply to all for permissions, and see who responds positively.
I sometimes think with docs like this, it's not the filming or compiling that takes the biggest amount of time, it's actually getting your legal ducks in a row before it goes public.
It's interesting how the amount of people on the internet, accessing millions of photos, movie clips, ect, is forcing more people to take a look at exactly what you can and can't do with copyright.
I know myself, I am writing a book about masks that will (hopefully) be a nice coffee table book with pictures. I can save an image from the internet and post it on manuscript(that is totally offline). I'm doing this as a kind of mockup. The FUN part will be if/when I decide to publish, I'm going to have to track down the source of each of those photos. Are they public or private? Is simple "permission" enough for them, or do they want money? Does it fit into the "fair use"category? If I ever want this book to get out and be purchased by people, I'm going to have to dot my Ts and cross my I's legally.
While the internet has been a blessing for access, its also been a real headache for people involved in copyright(except the lawyers, they are making scads of dough!
), with a picture or film grab just a mouse click away.that's a very good point but legally it is hard to do because store managers tend to frown on folks filming on that day since it is a major sales day and there is enough to worry about.....in my movie I actually have footage of myself making calls to stores and asking permission to film in their stores on that day.....two said no, one never even answered and another said they would have to clear it with corporate....never heard back from them. So I will get some black friday footage to the best of my abilities but stock footage will help dearly get the point across....since it is more of a mockumentary i think it is more ethically excepted to use.
Other question....news footage....is that copyright infringment if I use clips from news footage?
You need permission.
People own the footage they shoot. If they are shooting
for a company as an employee the company owns the
footage. Just like everything you will shoot you will own.
If somewhere in the future someone wants to use your
footage I'm sure you would want to know how it's being
used.