Hello, I am want to start my own video hosting site. The niche will be tv shows such as simpsons, futurama, family guy, and american dad. I am just curious if I can put complete seasons on my site so people can watch it. Youtube has similar videos also.
The simple answer is no. Of course law is territory dependant so it can get to be a grey area if your site is hosted in a country which doesn't recognise EU/American copywrite law. Even then you'll presumably want to make money from the site and you'll find few companies in the west which will support a site which flaunts copywrite so blatantly. Youtube provide a general video hosting site as a tool and it is the users there who are in the wrong for putting such videos up. Therefore so long as youtube comply with C&D notices they'll generally be OK. If your site revolves around such videos you'll have the studios fighting each other to take you down.
You will definitely get into trouble. Youtube does work with several content providers to host some shows online but those which are taped and uploaded by members without explicit permissions would be breaching copyright laws. You cannot even put portions of a show online so the whole series is totally out of the question.
If anyone is looking for a great site that hosts TV shows and full length movies, check out www.hulu.com. It has made deals with some big networks to bring the shows with "limited commercial interruption." If you sign up, it doesn't take long to get a password.
I say try it Just as an experiment and then report back to us It would be cool to see if you got into legal trouble. Plus, they will ask you to take it down before taking legal action etc.... so if worse comes to worst you can just take the site off. Jack.
yes, it is a 100% NO. Its no different from uploading all your CDs to your website for people to download.
Well, if you do talk to the copyright owners and give them a revenue share it's not illegal You have to also consider country specific laws here.
There is a website, don't remember its name, running complete seasons but mostly old TV-shows that you are granted to get for your site paying a membership. Don't remember the name but if you search for "Beverly Hillbillies" it may come through your query's results.
Mine wasn't going to be a tv program. I was going to upload the files. But I know there are streaming tv web sites out there.
Yeah, and how about putting those ALREADY uploaded pirate shows from youtube? (like music vids or anime episodes)? Is that legal? Isn't it like the usual warez forums - you're linking to something illegal, but you're not hosting it.. It seems that it is more tolerated by hosting companies than warez, but for me, it's pretty much the same*.. :O * my subjective point of view, I'm no lawyer
No, even linking can get you sued for contributory infringement. "Knowingly and intentionally directing others to a site that violates copyright has been considered a form of contributory infringement in the United States (Intellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry)"