Copyright Tips
We've been receiving a lot of questions about what makes a video copyright infringing and
ineligible for upload on 3-DNET®. Posting copyright-infringing content can lead to the termination of
your account, and possibly monetary damages if a copyright owner takes you to court. Here are some
guidelines to help you determine whether your video is eligible or whether it infringes someone else's
copyright.
As a general matter, we at 3-DNET® respect the rights of artists and creators, and hope you will work
with us to keep our community a creative, legal and positive experience for everyone, including artists
and creators.
How To Make Sure Your Video Does Not Infringe Someone Else's Copyrights
The way to ensure that your video doesn't infringe someone else's copyright is to use your skills and
imagination to create something completely original. If it's all yours, you never have to worry about the copyright—you own it! Make sure to follow the
other guidelines in the terms of use, too.
Be sure that all components of your video are your original creation—even the audio portion. For example,
if you use an audio track of a sound recording owned by a record label without that record label's
permission, your video is infringing the copyrights of others, and we will take it down as soon as we
become aware of it.
Commercial Content Is Copyrighted
The most common reason we take down videos for copyright infringement is that they are direct copies of
copyrighted content and the owners of the copyrighted content have alerted us that their content is being
used without their permission. Once we become aware of an unauthorized use, we will remove the video
promptly. That is the law.
What Will Happen If You Upload Infringing Content
Anytime we become aware that a video or any part of a video on our site infringes the copyrights of a
third party, we will take it down from the site. We are required to do so by law. If you believe that a
video on the site infringes your copyright, send us a copyright notice and we will take it down. If you
believe that we have removed a video that you uploaded in error and that you are the copyright owner or
have permission, you can file a counter notice and let us know. If you repeatedly post infringing
content, your account will be terminated. This is also a requirement of the law.
Using Some Copyrighted Content in Your Videos
While videos that are direct copies of someone else's content are clear copyright violations, there are
certain very limited circumstances in which the use of very short clips of a copyrighted video or song
may be legal even without permission. This is known as the "fair use" principle of copyright law.
To determine whether a particular use of a short clip of a copyrighted video or song qualifies as a "fair
use," you need to analyze and weigh four factors that are outlined in the U.S. copyright statute.
Unfortunately, the weighing of these four factors is often quite subjective and complex, and for this
reason, it's often difficult to determine whether a particular use is a "fair use." If the copyright
owner disagrees with your interpretation of fair use, the copyright owner may chose to resolve the
dispute in court. If it turns out that your use is not a fair use, then you are infringing the copyrights
of the owner and you may be liable for monetary damages.
If you would like to learn more about the principle of fair use, below are a few links to websites that
discuss it. Please remember, however, that your decision about whether and how to exercise your fair use
rights is solely yours, and we at 3-DNET® bear no responsibility for your decision.
Fair Use Links on the Web
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