Melanie FodorPolicy PrimerYouTube- Broadcast yourself

When you think of YouTube, what do you see?

Self made fame?

Funny homemade video’s?

Helpful how-to’s?

What about this thing?

Ring any bells?

Of course not, because you are one of millions of YouTube subscribers who did not read the Terms of Use, but accepted them as a binding legal contract.

The Terms of use covers a lot of terms and conditions about your freedom of speech, privacy and safety, as well as your copyright ownership on YouTube

Don’t think that the terms of use wont effect you, they will. And here’s why.

Lesson 1:

Think you have freedom of speech on YouTube? Think again?

Freedom of Speech

1. You need YouTube’s permission for any copying

Lets look at some of YouTube's terms that apply to the freedom of making, distributing and using their videos

Translation 1. You know that time you emailed your friend that YouTube video, that they copied it to a DVD and showed all your friends? Yes, well you needed YouTube’s permission first.

2. You will not post advertisements

Translation 2. All of those funny advertisements that have been downloaded, and uploaded to YouTube, legally should not be there.

3. YouTube will remove all content considered inappropriate

Translation 3. If YouTube doesn’t like what you say, it will be removed, and if you do it again, so will you. So much for Barlow’s cyberspace world free from laws and normal practices right?

Lesson 2: A right to privacy and safety

Is Your Privacy and safety protected on YouTube?

YouTube's terms and conditions cover privacy and safety issues. Lets see how.

1. You don’t have claims against YouTube over user submissions

Translation 1. If you receive offensive and inappropriate messages while on YouTube’s website, they are not at fault and you can not blame them.

2. Your use of YouTube is solely at your own risk

2. If you receive a virus from YouTube, that’s your problem because you agreed to use their service at your own risk.

Translation

2. Your will defend YouTube in any suit connected with your access to YouTube

Translation 3. If you file a suit against someone off YouTube, or have a suit filed against you, you have already agreed that the situation was not YouTube’s fault, even if you believe it was

Lesson 3: CopyrightIf im responsible for what I upload, I must own what I upload right?

Well kind of… lets look closer at the terms and conditions.

“You retain the copyright for your content, but by submitting it to YouTube you are giving YouTube the right to use the material in any form that it may desire.

So you have a video that you own the rights to

You upload it to YouTube, agree to their terms and…

Your suddenly not the only person who has the right to play and use the video however you like

Lets summarize•YouTube protects itself first

•You sign away any right to sue YouTube, or blame them for anything you may experience on their website.

•Your potentially giving your content a new shareholder.

•You can broadcast yourself… under their terms.

ReferencesDisposableFilmFest. (n.d.). YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/

Barbaro, M., & Zeller, T. (2006, August 9th). A Face Is Exposed for AOL Searcher No. 4417749. New York Times.Goettke, R., & Christiana, J. (2007). Privacy and Online Social Networking Websites. Computer Science 199r: Special Topics in Computer Science Computation and Society: Privacy and Technology.

"Cyberspace Independence Declaration." ibiblio.org - Storytelling . N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2010. <http://www.ibiblio.org/netchan