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Question about copyright laws on videos
Hi guys, just wondering if i can have some advice on a copyright matter.
I am a videographer and have been doing vids for around 6 months, I have noticed some of my footage from a paid video i did a few weeks ago got used for a yoga festival promo vid. It seems like the client i did the video for has given the video to someone else as he has a yoga type stall at that said festival.I was never asked for permission, does the client own the footage and can give it to whoever he wants for whatever purpose or is this a breach of copyright?
The client is a lovely guy and i don’t want to stir things up but id like to know where i stand in this matter?
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4 Replies
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I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.
What does your contract with the client say with regards to copyright? Did you explicitly retain the copyright? IIRC in your situation (a work for hire) the copyright defaults to the client unless you specify in the contract that you are retaining the copyright.
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Were you paid as a shooter? For your time? If you are paid to shoot the video, as a videographer…then the footage belongs to the client. You were hired to shoot images and provide them to the client. That’s how things typically work, unless you have a special agreement.
Shane
Little Frog Post
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Ok thanks mate, i thought it may be like that. I don’t write contracts, so i guess he can do what he wants with it. I’m not really fussed but just looking into the topic as I’m sure this issue will come up again. Looks like i’l have to start writing up contracts.
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Thanks for chiming in man, Yes i was paid as a videographer so i guess he can do what he wants with the footage. What happens if he gives some footage to a company that uses the footage multiple times for different videos, just speaking hypothetically as this issue may arise at some point in my career. I’m presuming that if this did happen without his consent, he would be the one that could pursue legal action being the owner of the footage?
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