{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Video copyright: How to avoid getting sued |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Video copyright: How to avoid getting sued",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/04/video-copyright/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Video copyright: How to avoid getting sued","summary" : "Don’t include Internet music, video, or graphics in your video unless you understand the copyright. Yes, this is a pain, but companies take copyright very seriously and regularly file both takedown notices and lawsuits against offenders.","date" : "2013-05-04T12:14:45-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"jonathan-rubin" : "Jonathan Rubin"},"topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "multimedia" : "Multimedia"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2013-05-04-video-copyright.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2013/05/2013-05-04-video-copyright.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2013/05/2013-05-04-video-copyright.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2013/05/2013-05-04-video-copyright.md","slug" : "video-copyright","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/04/video-copyright/","content" :"\u003cdiv class=\"image image-right image-right-legacy\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2013/12/b7-copyright-pic.jpg\"\n    alt=\"A picture of the copyright symbol\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDon’t include Internet music, video, or graphics in your video unless you understand the copyright. Yes, this is a pain, but companies take copyright very seriously and regularly file both \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takedown_notice#Take_down_and_Put_Back_provisions\"\u003etakedown notices\u003c/a\u003e and lawsuits against offenders.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNumerous laws like the \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act\"\u003eDigital Media Copyright Act\u003c/a\u003e (DMCA) discuss in great detail the “ins and outs” of using web–based media.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere’s a few important points on understanding copyright:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"assume-all-material-is-copyrighted\"\u003eAssume All Material is Copyrighted\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNearly all the material on the Web is covered by \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property\"\u003eintellectual property\u003c/a\u003e laws. If you produce content in your personal time, you automatically own the rights to it. If you produce content at work, your agency likely owns it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVideos, blog posts, and music (especially music videos) are all examples of works automatically protected by copyright (and probably trademark law). They don’t need to say “copyright” or have a “©” mark next to it, either–once it’s created, it’s copyrighted.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople must choose to actively relinquish their copyright for you to use their work, and the vast majority of people don’t do this or don’t know how.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen in doubt, consult your agency’s Office of General Counsel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"federal-government-works-likely-copyright-free\"\u003eFederal Government Works Likely Copyright Free\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAny form of recorded or documented work created by a federal employee, as part of that person’s official duties is, according to \u003ca href=\"http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.pdf#Section106\"\u003eSection 105 of the Copyright Act\u003c/a\u003e, a United States Government Work (USGW).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis means the videos created during your work day are the property of the federal government and have no copyright restrictions within the United States.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you’re a federal employee, anyone in the U.S. may:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReproduce the work in print or digital form\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreate derivative works (use portions of the original in another work)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePerform the work publicly\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisplay the work\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDistribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003carticle\n  class=\"dg-note \"\n\u003e\n  \u003ch4 class=\"dg-note__heading\"\u003e\n    \u003csvg\n      class=\"dg-note__icon usa-icon dg-icon dg-icon--large\"\n      aria-hidden=\"true\"\n      focusable=\"false\"\n    \u003e\n      \u003cuse xlink:href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/uswds/img/sprite.svg#notifications\"\u003e\u003c/use\u003e\n    \u003c/svg\u003e\n    \n      Note\n    \n  \u003c/h4\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout USGWs\u003c/strong\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are only free from copyright protection \u003cem\u003ewithin\u003c/em\u003e the U.S.—many agencies can and do assert copyright protection overseas. The copyright for websites viewed in either New York or in Paris may be different in each location.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe employee who creates a USGW cannot claim intellectual property rights on the work. Similarly, you can’t create a video using pieces of other people’s work and call it your own.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorks prepared for the U.S. government by independent contractors as a “work for hire” belong to the government. The contractor may not obtain or retain any copyright from these created materials if the agency chooses to assert that they are “works for hire” and the federal contract clearly states as such. In other words, ensure your contracting officer includes the correct clauses if your agency wishes to obtain copyright via contract.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/article\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen in doubt, consult your agency’s Office of General Counsel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"usgw-copyright-exceptions\"\u003eUSGW Copyright Exceptions\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLogos\u003c/strong\u003e—You can’t use U.S. government trademarks or agency seals without permission. Federal agencies can and do have registered trademarks that they enforce and prevent others from using without permission.For example, if you are a GSA employee, you shouldn’t use the Starmark, GSA’s registered trademark, without permission from the Office of Communication and Marketing. Vendors don’t have permission to use the Starmark.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWorks by other governments\u003c/strong\u003e—If you work for a state, local or foreign government, your individual works may be protected by copyright.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEndorsements—\u003c/strong\u003eYou can’t use a USGW in a way that implies endorsement by a federal government agency, official, or employee. For example, you cannot use a photo of a government official wearing your product in an advertisement.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease forms for individuals—\u003c/strong\u003eIf you need to film someone and show their likeness in your government video, you may need to use a \u003ca href=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2013/12/video-release-form.doc\"\u003evideo release form\u003c/a\u003e (Word document, 24.5 KB, 1 page, April 2012). This protects you and the government from lawsuits or takedown requests.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen in doubt, consult your agency’s Office of General Counsel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"video-image-or-music-permissions\"\u003eVideo, Image, or Music Permissions\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can use a photograph, a song, or a video clip if you:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eContact the owner and have them send you permission, by letter or email, to use your work. You can find the owner by looking for credits and contacting the webmaster or owner of the page; or, if it’s a social media video, through their social media account. You can use our \u003ca href=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2013/12/video-release-form.doc\"\u003evideo release form\u003c/a\u003e (Word document, 24.5 KB, 1 page, April 2012) for web content as well.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFind work labeled public domain (generally freely usable in the country it was created). Check if the author has included a \u003ca href=\"http://creativecommons.org/\"\u003eCreative Commons\u003c/a\u003e or another attribution license indicating the item is free to use. A variety of websites collect large groups of these images, which you can find examples of in our next section, \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2012/05/07/find-free-video-stock-footage/\"\u003efinding legal footage and music\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003carticle\n  class=\"dg-note \"\n\u003e\n  \u003ch4 class=\"dg-note__heading\"\u003e\n    \u003csvg\n      class=\"dg-note__icon usa-icon dg-icon dg-icon--large\"\n      aria-hidden=\"true\"\n      focusable=\"false\"\n    \u003e\n      \u003cuse xlink:href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/uswds/img/sprite.svg#notifications\"\u003e\u003c/use\u003e\n    \u003c/svg\u003e\n    \n      Note\n    \n  \u003c/h4\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIMPORTANT\u003c/strong\u003e: Licenses are complex, and not all Creative Commons, or other attribution licenses, are created equal. This means that a certain type of “CC” or other attribution logo might let you use an image or video, but you will need to give attribution or credit, usually in the credits or in the description.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother popular type of license, the \u003ca href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/\"\u003eAttribution No Derivatives license\u003c/a\u003e, will allow you to use a work, but prevent you from altering or cropping anything.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo ensure you don’t mistakenly use protected intellectual property from other websites, check with the sources who created that original material.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/article\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen in doubt, consult your agency’s Office of General Counsel.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}