Content creators are getting a raw deal and Facebook does little to stop it because they are making big profits from it

 

Freebooting sounds like some old school computer term from the 90’s. When in reality it’s simply the act of taking somebody else’s video content and posting online for personal gain without the permission of the content creator.

It sounds very dastardly doesn’t it? Let’s look at what content creators are complaining about.

Large scale freebooting is where a video is going viral and someone downloads the content and re-uploads it as their own and generates profits from it without any credit or royalties to the content creator.

The biggest problem is that this is happening on Facebook. Where someone can download a hugely popular video from Youtube, and re-upload it to use as personal promotional material. As the video keeps gaining momentum with views, Facebook makes a ton of money out of the advertisements it places around it.

freebooting video theft

Facebook is very aware of what’s happening here, so when they receive a complaint about intellectual property theft, they drag the process out as long as they can so they can wring out as much revenue from it before the content is pulled.

Freebooting is different to re-posting because they are not sharing an embed code or an original URL, they are actually downloading the content, cutting out any credit to the creator, and even altering it for their own purposes.

Now don’t be afraid of re-posting videos in fear of infringement rights. If you don’t mess with the original content and are simply sharing something you like, then you are actually doing the creator a favour by spreading it around. Youtube actually rewards a video with greater search rankings if the video has been shared and embedded on other websites. The point to take home is, don’t try and pass it off as you own. Just remember that Youtube wouldn’t offer a “share” option if they didn’t want it spread around.

So do you have a website with the absence of video? If you need an instructional or info video that doesn’t require business branding, then why not find a suitable video on Youtube and use somebody else’s?  So long as it’s a generic looking clip that doesn’t have links drawing your traffic away then you are good to go.

I have a motto: “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission” So don’t fret about asking to use video content (just don’t mess with it). There is no such thing as video police, so the worst case scenario is a message – cease and desist. If that’s the case, just comply with the request and look for another.

By using pre-existing video content, I’m sure a lot of pressure will be taken off your shoulders leaving you time to focus on important things like your sales video.

Corporate Video Brisbane