Alternative Channel Copyrights

THE ALTERNATIVE CHANNEL ™ respects the rights of copyright holders and publishers and requires all users to confirm they own the copyright or have permission from the copyright holder to upload content. We will not post content or we will promptly remove content if copyright infringement is notified. Repeat infringers' videos are removed and their accounts are terminated and permanently blocked from using THE ALTERNATIVE CHANNEL ™. For more information about THE ALTERNATIVE CHANNEL's ™ copyright policy, read About Copyright.

About Copyright

This is a simple guide telling you what makes a video copyright infringing and ineligible for upload on THE ALTERNATIVE CHANNEL ™. Posting copyright-infringing content can lead to the termination of your Membership, 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, THE ALTERNATIVE CHANNEL ™respect the rights of journalists, artists and creators, and wish you will work with us to keep our community a distinctive, creative, legal and positive experience for everyone, including  citizen journalists, artists and creators.

Making Sure Your Video Does Not Infringe Copyrights

The way to ensure that your video doesn't infringe someone else's copyright is to create something completely original.

Be sure that all components of your video are your original creation—also the audio portion. So, if you are filming your own news report or eyewitness report, using your own voice and ambient sound; if it's all yours, you never have to worry about the copyright since you own it. You also have to make you follow the other guidelines in the terms of use.

Most of commercial Content Is Copyrighted

If you use direct copies of copyrighted content and the owners of the copyrighted content have alerted us that their content is being used without their permission, we will remove your video, once we become aware of an unauthorized use. That is the law.

Examples of copyrighted content (this is not complete list) are:

1. All TV shows
2. All Music videos
3. Videos of live concerts
4. Movies and movie trailers
5. Commercials
6. Slide shows that include photos or images owned by somebody else

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 an email to that effect with all the details to copyright@alternativechannel.tvand we will take it down. If you repeatedly post infringing content, your account will be terminated. This is also a requirement of the law.

Utilizing 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 THE ALTERNATIVE CHANNEL ™bear no responsibility for your decision.

Fair Use Links on the Web

http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/

http://www.copyrightwebsite.com/Info/Law/FairUse.aspx

http://chillingeffects.org/fairuse/

DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT YOUR ATTORNEYS, AND THE INFORMATION WE PRESENT HERE IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE. WE PRESENT THIS INFORMATION FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.