5 ms·

Ask HN: How to inform YouTube a video is no longer under copyright?

181 points by bryanrasmussen 3y ago

I was importing this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IADZtE2-Aws https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IADZtE2-Aws into my youtube account, famous tracking shot from Wings 1927, and at the copyright determination step Youtube told me it was under copyright but the owner allows it to be shown on Youtube. Which is incorrect - it entered public domain in 2023. Makes me wonder if there is some metadata in this file that is newer than the film and that is what is copyrighted, or is it that the copyright was claimed on years past and Youtube neglected to check when that claim was going to run out? How does one let them know that the copyright has run out?

h2odragon 3y ago
found this; which appears to be only about "your" videos: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797454?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797454?hl=en&co=G... If you didn't upload it i guess they dont want to hear from you. recall hearing about soemone's wife wanted to post a memorial video on the husbands account after he died; he'd put up a lot of stuff on early youtube; they basically told her FOAD and added ads to the videos.
- bryanrasmussen 3y ago
  hmm, I think the process can be used to dispute the copyright claim in this case. It's not disallowing me to upload obviously, it says the copyright owner allows it to be used on Youtube but since there isn't a copyright owner I still feel a bit screwed over :)
lucb1e 3y ago
Not ideal, but one possible solution is to upload the video to something like peertube, then put a video on youtube saying that youtube incorrectly adds copyright strikes for this content and that people need to unfortunately view it on peertube instead
dysoco 3y ago
I've heard Youtube is pretty active solving these kind of issues when mentioned on Twitter/X so you might try that.
- behringer 3y ago
  Only works if you have 50000 followers and some of them are Google employees.
withinboredom 3y ago
You can go into YouTube studio, select the video, then go to "copyright" ... click the three little dots connected to the claim, and then "dispute." From there, select "public domain" or whatever is applicable. It's kinda buried, but occasionally I get claims for songs not even in my video, so I had to go digging for it. Also, make sure you're using the video from 1927, and not a later release which may have a different copyright.
- bryanrasmussen 3y ago
  thanks!
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
goodluckchuck 3y ago
This should be part of the strike process. Any copyright claim should be required to disclose the expiration.
- Someone1234 3y ago
  OP hasn't had a strike. They're talking about the automatic copyright flagging during video import.
  - goodluckchuck 3y ago
    Yeah, that too.
lcof 3y ago
The claim could be audiovisual or audio only, and might be for the whole video or just a few short segments. The claim might also apply different policies based on territories (public domain in the US does not imply it is public domain worldwide). If you are sure about it, then dispute the claim, and dispute the next one if necessary, even if that’s under DMCA. Then all they can do is file a lawsuit, which they won’t do. Full disclosure: I worked with contentID for the past 10 years.
saaaaaam 3y ago
I suspect this is because it’s only entered the public domain in the US. The rules are different territory by territory, and in a lot of European countries it is life + 70 years based on principle participants. Given Charles Rogers - one of the starring actors - didn’t die until 1999 (aged 95!) in some European countries this film won’t be public domain until 2069, incredible as that seems. Even if you go in the director, who died in 1975, that makes it 2045.
chrismorgan 3y ago
You can’t. They refuse to let you. The closest you can do is to dispute a copyright claim (as mentioned by another); but YouTube refuses to be a judge in that case, and even if you’ve provided good, provable information, the claimant can still just reject it and (as far as I can tell) instruct YouTube to make it a copyright strike of the three-strikes-and-you’re-out kind. Seriously. The system is designed to be abused. And even if your claim is allowed (whether the claim is released, or it lapses in your favour after 30 days), the claimer can still keep on claiming the same thing, so if you or someone else uploads it again, it’ll be silently claimed and you’ll have to go through the rigmarole all over again. This makes no sense at all if it was actually about copyright law with equitable treatment of all, and shows a bit what I mean by “designed to be abused”. I gave more info and stats from my experiences with melody claims of public domain hymns in 2020: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27004892 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27004892. So much casual fraud.
- saaaaaam 3y ago
  I know very little of your religion so I’m not familiar with many hymns at all but I thought this was interesting and so did a quick check. It seems many popular hymns are still in copyright - not necessarily the melody, but often the lyrics, as often the popular English versions are translations, or new lyrics written to old songs. For example one of the most popular English language hymns “How Great Thou Art” has various versions of the lyrics, and popular versions appear to have been written by lyricists who did not die until the 1980s meaning these works will not become public domain until 2050 or later - even if the melody is much older. It may also be that the arrangement (which is a distinct copyright when it comes to music) is what is causing a copyright claim. I understand that religious music publishers can be quite persistent in ensuring use of their works is adequately compensated. This may be why you are unable to upload these. See also my comment below about differing lengths of copyright for works to enter the public domain.
  - chrismorgan 3y ago
    Your suggested defence was already debunked in the linked thread. These were melody claims, all firmly in the public domain, most composers having died in the 1800s or earlier (e.g. Crimond, by J. S. Irvine who died in 1887).
VanTheBrand 3y ago
If you are just concerned about being able to upload it and not have it taken down you can adjust the b&w color timing or do some restoration work on a few frames and register that tweaked version as a derivative work with the copyright office. You can then upload that version which you will hold the exclusive copyright to and can upload yourself to content id.

h2odragon 3y ago

found this; which appears to be only about "your" videos: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797454?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797454?hl=en&co=G... If you didn't upload it i guess they dont want to hear from you. recall hearing about soemone's wife wanted to post a memorial video on the husbands account after he died; he'd put up a lot of stuff on early youtube; they basically told her FOAD and added ads to the videos.

bryanrasmussen 3y ago
hmm, I think the process can be used to dispute the copyright claim in this case. It's not disallowing me to upload obviously, it says the copyright owner allows it to be used on Youtube but since there isn't a copyright owner I still feel a bit screwed over :)

lucb1e 3y ago

Not ideal, but one possible solution is to upload the video to something like peertube, then put a video on youtube saying that youtube incorrectly adds copyright strikes for this content and that people need to unfortunately view it on peertube instead

dysoco 3y ago

I've heard Youtube is pretty active solving these kind of issues when mentioned on Twitter/X so you might try that.

behringer 3y ago
Only works if you have 50000 followers and some of them are Google employees.

withinboredom 3y ago

You can go into YouTube studio, select the video, then go to "copyright" ... click the three little dots connected to the claim, and then "dispute." From there, select "public domain" or whatever is applicable. It's kinda buried, but occasionally I get claims for songs not even in my video, so I had to go digging for it. Also, make sure you're using the video from 1927, and not a later release which may have a different copyright.

bryanrasmussen 3y ago
thanks!
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

goodluckchuck 3y ago

This should be part of the strike process. Any copyright claim should be required to disclose the expiration.

Someone1234 3y ago
OP hasn't had a strike. They're talking about the automatic copyright flagging during video import.
- goodluckchuck 3y ago
  Yeah, that too.

lcof 3y ago

The claim could be audiovisual or audio only, and might be for the whole video or just a few short segments. The claim might also apply different policies based on territories (public domain in the US does not imply it is public domain worldwide). If you are sure about it, then dispute the claim, and dispute the next one if necessary, even if that’s under DMCA. Then all they can do is file a lawsuit, which they won’t do. Full disclosure: I worked with contentID for the past 10 years.

saaaaaam 3y ago

I suspect this is because it’s only entered the public domain in the US. The rules are different territory by territory, and in a lot of European countries it is life + 70 years based on principle participants. Given Charles Rogers - one of the starring actors - didn’t die until 1999 (aged 95!) in some European countries this film won’t be public domain until 2069, incredible as that seems. Even if you go in the director, who died in 1975, that makes it 2045.

chrismorgan 3y ago

You can’t. They refuse to let you. The closest you can do is to dispute a copyright claim (as mentioned by another); but YouTube refuses to be a judge in that case, and even if you’ve provided good, provable information, the claimant can still just reject it and (as far as I can tell) instruct YouTube to make it a copyright strike of the three-strikes-and-you’re-out kind. Seriously. The system is designed to be abused. And even if your claim is allowed (whether the claim is released, or it lapses in your favour after 30 days), the claimer can still keep on claiming the same thing, so if you or someone else uploads it again, it’ll be silently claimed and you’ll have to go through the rigmarole all over again. This makes no sense at all if it was actually about copyright law with equitable treatment of all, and shows a bit what I mean by “designed to be abused”. I gave more info and stats from my experiences with melody claims of public domain hymns in 2020: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27004892 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27004892. So much casual fraud.

saaaaaam 3y ago
I know very little of your religion so I’m not familiar with many hymns at all but I thought this was interesting and so did a quick check. It seems many popular hymns are still in copyright - not necessarily the melody, but often the lyrics, as often the popular English versions are translations, or new lyrics written to old songs. For example one of the most popular English language hymns “How Great Thou Art” has various versions of the lyrics, and popular versions appear to have been written by lyricists who did not die until the 1980s meaning these works will not become public domain until 2050 or later - even if the melody is much older. It may also be that the arrangement (which is a distinct copyright when it comes to music) is what is causing a copyright claim. I understand that religious music publishers can be quite persistent in ensuring use of their works is adequately compensated. This may be why you are unable to upload these. See also my comment below about differing lengths of copyright for works to enter the public domain.
- chrismorgan 3y ago
  Your suggested defence was already debunked in the linked thread. These were melody claims, all firmly in the public domain, most composers having died in the 1800s or earlier (e.g. Crimond, by J. S. Irvine who died in 1887).

VanTheBrand 3y ago

If you are just concerned about being able to upload it and not have it taken down you can adjust the b&w color timing or do some restoration work on a few frames and register that tweaked version as a derivative work with the copyright office. You can then upload that version which you will hold the exclusive copyright to and can upload yourself to content id.