Weddings are a special event that you want to share with all your friends and family, but as is often the case, not everyone can make it. Delayed flights, emergencies, and scheduling conflicts can prevent loved ones from making it to one of the most important nights of your life. It happens. Thankfully, you can capture the memories with photo booths and video and share with those who couldn't attend.
Whether you hire a professional wedding videographer or splice together a cut of your favorite moments sent by wedding guests, you'll probably want to upload it to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms. However, the problem is that you could get in trouble for sharing videos containing copyrighted material. You may think you can share whatever you want because it's your wedding, but that's false. Sharing videos that contain copyrighted material without the copyright owner's permission could get your video taken down or your account suspended.
The primary culprit in most copyright takedowns is copyrighted music, which will likely be in the background of your wedding video. As a wedding entertainment service offering world-class DJs and performers, RMF Entertainment wants to ensure that your videos stay up so that your friends and family can enjoy them. So here's what you need to know before sharing your wedding videos online and what you can do to protect yourself from copyright infringement.
Why Was Your Wedding Video Taken Down from YouTube?
Since the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was signed in 1998, online platforms have been safe from being sued for copyright infringement so long as it closely monitors users and removes copyrighted material. So, for example, if someone uploads a film to YouTube without explicit permission from the studio — which would never happen — YouTube would need to remove it to escape liability. Though it's impossible for YouTube to monitor every single video, it has a suite of advanced, automated tools in place that can spot copyrighted material as its being uploaded. The platform also has a comprehensive set of guidelines and processes regarding copyright infringement.
So how does it work? YouTube's Content ID system scans every video uploaded and attempts to match the content to other content in its database. If there's a match, the copyright holder is notified, at which point they can request to remove it. It doesn't matter if a song appeared for 30 seconds or 30 minutes. A copyright holder has the right to material, and they can choose how it's used, when it's used, and who can use it.
What Happens When My Wedding Video Is Removed from YouTube?
If a video you upload on YouTube is taken down due to copyright infringement, you have to attend Copyright School, which is an online course offered by YouTube to teach creators about copyright and how it works on the platform.
The first time is considered a warning, but if you get two additional strikes, your channel may be deleted, all your videos may be removed, and you won't be able to create new channels.
Videos Can Also Be Taken Down From Social Media Platforms
We use YouTube as the primary example because it's the strictest regarding copyright infringement and has the most tools and processes for copyright infringement. That doesn't mean it's the only platform that can remove your content because you used copyrighted material.
Every social media platform, from Facebook to Twitter, has a responsibility to remove copyrighted content to avoid being sued. While those platforms are more relaxed than Youtube, they can still remove your content.
Tips For Protecting Your Wedding Video From Copyright Infringement
Not being able to share your wedding video can be frustrating, but there are workarounds. Here are a few tips that should help you keep your wedding video safe from copyright takedown.
Use Royalty-free Music in Your Video
Royalty-free music is music that you can license for a one-time fee. Depending on the license, you can use the music in personal and commercial projects for as long as you like. Once you purchase the license, you can replace the copyrighted music in your wedding video with royalty-free music. Just remember that some royalty-free music platforms require you to link your YouTube account to their music platform so that your video doesn't accidentally get taken down.
Use Royalty-free Music in Your Wedding
Removing the original audio will also remove non-copyrighted audio that you might want to keep, such as speeches. If that’s the case, you can ask your wedding DJ to use royalty-free music for moments you want to share. While this does require a few extra steps, your wedding DJ can work with you to ensure your video can be shared online.
Share Your Wedding Video Via the Cloud
If royalty-free music is not an option, you can always share your video with everyone by uploading it to a cloud storage service like DropBox, Box, or Google Drive. Since you're sharing the video from your private cloud storage, your video can't be removed. You can even share the link to the download on social media platforms.
Let RMF Handle Your Wedding Entertainment
Planning a wedding is one of the most involved projects you can take on. The last thing you want to worry about is whether you can share your wedding video online. Yet, if you don't plan for it, you may end up with a copyright strike from YouTube or even a temporary suspension from the platform. It's a nuisance to be sure, but we can help. At RMF Entertainment, our expert wedding DJs and live performers can work with you to make sure that doesn't happen. We'll work with you to choose music that won't be flagged as copyright infringement, and we'll make sure you have the night of your life.
If you want to choose from the wedding DJs in Montana, call RMF Entertainment today at (406) 531-2321 and start planning your dream wedding.
