Copyright

Background

In this activity, you will learn about copyright laws, fair use, and how YouTube’s copyright detection software works. You will create a short video on any topic you choose, add a song from a music library that offers royalty-free music, and upload it to YouTube. You will then review the copyright detection status to determine whether YouTube correctly identified the song used in your video.

Instructions

1. Begin by researching copyright laws and fair use to learn about what these laws entail and how they apply to creating content for YouTube.
2. Create a short video on any topic you choose (e.g., a how-to video, a funny skit, a travel vlog). Use your creativity and make it as engaging as possible.
3. Find a song in a music library that offers royalty-free music and add it to your video. Alternatively, you can create your music using free software like GarageBand or Audacity.
4. Once your video is complete, upload it to YouTube and wait for the copyright detection software to analyze the audio.
5. Once the video is uploaded, review the copyright detection status on the video’s dashboard. Did YouTube correctly identify the song used in your video? If not, what song did YouTube identify? Why do you think that is?
6. As a final step, make any necessary changes to your video to avoid copyright infringement, such as using original music, obtaining permission to use copyrighted material, or selecting a different song from a royalty-free music library.

Discussion

As a group, discuss the results and what you have learned about copyright laws and fair use.

• What did you learn about YouTube’s copyright detection software?
• How can you ensure that your content does not infringe on someone else’s intellectual property?

Consider the importance of respecting other people’s creative works and the consequences of violating copyright laws.