YouTube issues statement on gameplay copyright situation
With the recent controversy that certain Nintendo-related videos (particularly “Let’s Play”) can no longer be monetized on YouTube, the company has issued an official statement about the situation.
YouTube’s comments advise users to “ensure that you have all the necessary rights to commercially use all content in a video before you submit it for monetization.” Even if you purchase the game, commercial rights are still required.
Here’s the statement in full:
We know we have a lot of partners who love and want to post videos relating to games, so we wanted to share some tips to help you monetize gaming content.
As always, you should ensure that you have all the necessary rights to commercially use all content in a video before you submit it for monetization. Video game content may be monetized depending on the commercial use rights granted to you by licenses of video game publishers. Here are some tips!
? Check the video game publisher’s license agreement (Terms of Use, EULA etc). Some publishers allow you to use all video game content for commercial use and state that in the license agreement.
? Get written permission. Some publishers may allow you to monetize videos containing their game content if you reach out and ask.
? Videos showing software user interface may only be monetized if you’ve signed a contract with the publisher or paid a licensing fee.
? If you do have the appropriate license, submit your documentation to YouTube in a timely manner. If you do not have the appropriate license from a video game publisher, your videos must contain minimal use of video game or software user interface and be as informative and educational as possible – commentary must follow the live action shown step by step.
? Use your video metadata wisely! Use relevant, accurate titles, tags and descriptions for your videos.
? Make sure your dialogue is family friendly, so fans of all ages can enjoy your video.A final reminder: Simply buying or playing a video game does not grant you the copyright or permission to monetize. To earn revenue from videos from the game, you need commercial rights.
