I Want to Be a YouTuber! What IP Legals Should I Know?
The YouTuber
The evolution of the video-sharing platform, YouTube, has been an exciting journey to watch. From a place one would share amateur home videos to an advertising channel with a market of millions, it’s incredible to see how people have used YouTube and content creation to create successful careers. When YouTubers such as Timothy DeLaGhetto have a net worth of $3 million and Jeffree Star with an estimated net worth of $50 million, it’s no wonder there has been an influx of ‘influencers’ sharing their content and trying to make it “big” online.
Though this wealth is not solely from YouTube ad revenue, it was sharing content on YouTube that aided in the journey for these entrepreneurs to branch out into other business ventures. DeLaGhetto was discovered from the funny content he was posting on his channel which landed him a job on the hit MTV series Wild ‘N Out, whilst Jeffree is the CEO of his own widely successful cosmetics company. Evidently, creating and posting videos online that viewers want to watch is a great way to market yourself, gain a following and plant the roots for potential business ventures you may wish to pursue later.
But Wait! It Can’t Be That Easy
Nothing good ever came easy. Asides from the hard work and pure luck that goes into a successful YouTuber career, there are many other things to consider before becoming a YouTuber to avoid landing in hot water. When posting online, you have to remember that content is there forever, even when you think you’ve deleted it. You have to be careful of your digital footprint and think about the content you’re uploading if you want to avoid getting in trouble.
What Kind of Trouble?
Firstly, you need to know that infringement of another person’s intellectual property rights can occur when posting or sharing content on YouTube. This can happen even in the simple scenario of using someone’s image or song from the internet that is protected by copyright, or promoting your brand using an already existing registered trade mark.
Doing so will cause your video to be demonetized, and in extreme cases, your account suspended or the intellectual property rights holder pursuing legal action against you. If you believe someone is infringing on your intellectual property rights, YouTube offers a private messaging feature that allows you to submit a trademark complaint form. So, to avoid all this trouble, it’s probably best to just follow YouTube’s guidelines as best as possible when creating content, and make sure you have all the consents required to share another person’s intellectual property in the form of any visual or audio works.
I’m Ready to Make Videos!
During the process of your YouTube journey, always remember to stay creative and post original content! It pays to be unique and, besides, only by being yourself can you be separated from your competitors and stand out on YouTube. Best of luck in your YouTube career!
Take away points
- It’s incredible to see how people have used YouTube and content creation to forge successful careers.
- There has been an evident influx of ‘influencers’ sharing their content and trying to make it online.
- Creating and posting videos online that viewers want to watch is a great way to market yourself, gain a following and plant the roots for potential business ventures you may wish to pursue later.
- When posting online, you have to remember that content is there forever, even when you think you’ve deleted it.
- Be mindful that you always leave a “digital footprint”.
- It pays to be unique and, besides, only by being yourself can you be separated from your competitors.
Lara Alexandra, Legal Assistant and Trade Mark Administrator
We are a team of trade mark attorney and IP specialists based on Gold Coast and Sydney. If you need any assistance with your trade mark or social media “legals”, please contact us on 1300 77 66 14.
Disclaimer. The material in this post represents general information only and should not be taken to be legal advice.
