As of today, YouTube will give users the ability to indicate during upload that they have licensed their movies under an Attribution 3.0 United States (CC BY 3.0) license. Before now, the only way you could indicate that you were releasing under a Creative Commons license was to add an note to the credits.
There will be just one type of license that you can choose, although there are many other types of Creative Commons License available. This CC Licence means that you are allowing others to reuse your content as long as they give you credit in the way that is specified on the YouTube site. So people will be able to use your content for commercial gains and to remix it however they want.
Further, the YouTube Editor has been altered to allow you to edit more than just your own videos. You can now search for any items that have a Creative Commons license and reuse and remix them.
With only two licenses to choose from at upload, I wonder how this affects people who (like me) prefer to use another type of Creative Commons License? Following the link to the generic YouTube license, it says:
…you retain all of your ownership rights in your Content. However, by submitting Content to YouTube, you hereby grant YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, publish, adapt, make available online or electronically transmit, and perform the Content in connection with the Service and YouTube’s (and its successors’ and affiliates’) business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels. You also hereby grant each user of the Service a non-exclusive license to access your Content through the Service, and to use, reproduce, distribute, display, publish, make available online or electronically transmit, and perform such Content as permitted through the functionality of the Service and under these Terms of Service. The above licenses granted by you in video Content you submit to the Service terminate within a commercially reasonable time after you remove or delete your videos from the Service. You understand and agree, however, that YouTube may retain, but not display, distribute, or perform, server copies of your videos that have been removed or deleted. The above licenses granted by you in user comments you submit are perpetual and irrevocable.
So – I am guessing that I can either:
- Keep my copyright and grant YouTube a license to reuse
- Keep my copyright and grant YouTube a license to reuse PLUS add my own Creative Commons Licence via the credits so people do not have to contact me to get permission for the reuse I specify
- License as a Attribution 3.0 United States (CC BY 3.0)
More information is available on the YouTube Creative Commons page.
Post number 3 for #blogjune 2011