Protect your footage

[Justin Kirchhoff]

I was surfing the net today and have come across two separate projects that I have shot that other people have taken credit for.

I have now decided to put text or a "watermark" at the beginning of every video to ensure this will no longer happen.

They may think it's ok to post the video because they worked on them, but they did not produce them and did not ask for my permission, nor give me any credit!

I'm just ranting...I don't think I'll share things with people anymore...

 

[Martin Weiss]

Did they claim to have shot it? In that case I would - depending on your relationship with them - send a more or less friendly e-mail to them, asking to remove that.

Who owns the rights to the clip? If they do not have permission to distribute the clip, you could just get a lawyer involved, after they refused to remove the clip.

As to watermarking, there is always the problem with how prominent to make it. It will of course distract from your work, and you must decide one the balance between that and making it hard for others to "claim" your film.

You can always make it a bit harder to rip off films by not posting them as QT films, but embed them in a Flash player that hides the file names.

----

On my showreel I stopped having watermarks in the lower resolutions. Rather than turning away a potential client, I live with the danger of someone ripping off a clip.

Not that I see someone ripping off clips having a long future in this industry.

 

[Wayne D]

we just had the same here - a young animator thought he would post an online commercial on youtube.........BEFORE the campaing started!!!

client was none to impressed and he now has a new butt hole care of my producer.....:blush:

i think if people just asked first then alot of this would be sorted out pretty quickly

 

[Martin Weiss]

a young animator thought he would post an online commercial on youtube

What a way to jumpstart your career.

Not.

I don't even want to count in how many ways this was stupid.

 

[Justin Kirchhoff]

Did they claim to have shot it? In that case I would - depending on your relationship with them - send a more or less friendly e-mail to them, asking to remove that.

Who owns the rights to the clip? If they do not have permission to distribute the clip, you could just get a lawyer involved, after they refused to remove the clip.

I own the rights to the clip and they claimed ownership. It really upsets me, especially since they are friends of mine. I will probably have to send them an e-mail.

 

[Wayne D]

hope they just misplaced the boundries of your friendship.

i would do a phone call myself.........people can misread the intentions of emails sometimes. be nice but firm but also be prepared to get legal advice if this turns nasty. this is, afterall, how you put food on the table.

 

[Justin Kirchhoff]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

 

[Mark Thorpe]

Maybe include diffusion outlines in bold in any future commission contracts etc.

Best of luck,
Mark