Is it morally ok to watch Youtube? Are they illegal videos mostly?

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foolishmortal

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On one, they hoped that noone would remove the videos (they show is not on DVD, nor is it still on the air). I don’t know how youtube could escape a lawsuit by now if they hosted these and not made sure posted shows were legally copied and put on here. The same goes for Google, Yahoo, and other e-mail and web browsing server websites’ video and such. The quality isn’t as good as a DVD’s and they don’t make money, so maybe that’s why these shows can be shown.
Would I be an accomplice to stealing if I watched the shows, posted comments on them or even went to those sites? I will stop if one knows. As to avoid scrupulosity, I’ll go unless one says it’s wrong, as it seems too up in the air to be a high enough probability of sinning thereby.
 
Most of the videos on YouTube violate copyright law one way or another, either by stealing the video outright and posting it without any changes, or by “creating” videos by mixing and matching already-existing music, video, and photography. The only thing “original” is the storyline of the video; the parts of it were stolen from elsewhere.

However, despite these abuses, YouTube also provides a venue for original videos (where the person who posted the video is also the person who did the voices, shot and edited the original video, wrote and recorded the music themselves, and put the story line together) that otherwise would not get an audience. I’d look for those videos, since those are the really interesting ones, anyway. 🙂
 
Honestly, I personally wouldn’t waste two seconds worrying about copyright when it comes to youtube. There’s no way to know for sure. As long as you didn’t post anything you knew would be illegal I don’t see how it’s sinful. The bigger issue IMO is avoiding all the semi-pornographic stuf on there.
 
I think it varies depending on what has been posted. I know that I’ve seen people upload clips of “America’s Best Dance Crew” only to have them taken down a few hours later. So there is some measure of oversight along those lines.

As far as original content, I highly recommend videos by HappySlip if you’re Filipino/Filipino-American, or are familiar with Fil-Am culture. Ridiculously funny =D
 
foolishmortal I don’t know how youtube could escape a lawsuit by now if they hosted these and not made sure posted shows were legally copied and put on here. The same goes for Google, Yahoo, and other e-mail and web browsing server websites’ video and such.
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The reason Youtube is not held responsible is because they are only offering a venue to host videos. Youtube,as well as other media centers,have rules that state that copywrited material is not acceptable. This is also true of sites that allow P2P for mp3 music files and such… The programs are not “intended” for that use.The illegal part is when you go and purchase the new Tom Petty CD and then you allow others to upload it from your computer using P2P sites/programs. Within a week you have seeded thousands of copies.
 
I must admit that I am guilty of this and admitted it at first Confession this year. I guess it is a good thing that I got every Bob Dylan,Beatles,REM,and Pink FLoyd album a couple months before I became a Catholic:o
 
teadough said:
The reason Youtube is not held responsible is because they are only offering a venue to host videos. Youtube,as well as other media centers,have rules that state that copywrited material is not acceptable. This is also true of sites that allow P2P for mp3 music files and such… The programs are not “intended” for that use.The illegal part is when you go and purchase the new Tom Petty CD and then you allow others to upload it from your computer using P2P sites/programs. Within a week you have seeded thousands of copies.
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I think the laws will change soon to reflect the reality which is that “If you hold copywrited material on your server, or it is accessable partially through your program, you are contributing to the easier distribution of copywrited material in an illegal manner”, which of cause everyone knows you are. Youtube is contributing to the easier illegal distribution of copywrited material by simply existing without sufficient “mods”/Supervisiors(as we call them on net forums) and will soon possibly be shutdown or otherwise altered.
 
teadough said:
The reason Youtube is not held responsible is because they are only offering a venue to host videos. Youtube,as well as other media centers,have rules that state that copywrited material is not acceptable. This is also true of sites that allow P2P for mp3 music files and such… The programs are not “intended” for that use.The illegal part is when you go and purchase the new Tom Petty CD and then you allow others to upload it from your computer using P2P sites/programs. Within a week you have seeded thousands of copies.
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While the program is not intended for that usage, Moderation and supervisors are required by the authoring company to enforce their own policy and make sure it doesn’t happen. If the site does not supply adequate mods to censor inappropriate material it is very clearly in violation of copywrite laws itself because sites like youtube must have adequate filtering and supervision.

If they cannot enforce, through mods(such as those that make sure this site dosn’t have bad things posted on it), their own policy that “copywrited material is not acceptable”, then they contribute to the distribution problem and are in fact prosecutable.
 
colliric said:
I think the laws will change soon to reflect the reality which is that “If you hold copywrited material on your server, or it is accessable partially through your program, you are contributing to the easier distribution of copywrited material in an illegal manner”, which of cause everyone knows you are. Youtube is contributing to the easier illegal distribution of copywrited material by simply existing without sufficient “mods”/Supervisiors(as we call them on net forums) and will soon possibly be shutdown or otherwise altered.
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In the past,when I did download videos and music,youtube was never a consideration due to the poor quality that is normally kept. There are thousands of other sites and each of those sites have “mirror” sites,so the likely hood of this type of piracy going away soon is nowhere near and then there are the file hosting sites around that are were intended for actual Data files. I have files at these sites and these can be handy for if I were out of town and needed to pull one. Actually,I have a Scott Hahn mp3 file that could be downloaded by anyone,provided that I gave a link. I am not even sure if that one is copywrited but that is not the point.

As soon as you get into the area where you are talking about sites having to have Mods and such that is where you are going to run into a problem. This is where they are getting borderlined with Chinas policy on internet content. As much as the internet needs to be safeguarded the idea of the goverment really taking a stance and stepping in for the good of video/music media is unlikely in my opinion
 
Thanks! …but are you saying that it would be stolen property for one to have recordings of shows and play them for free on youtube? When would it be being an accessory, morally? I mean, state laws do not always represent moral ones and can be more lax. Even though the quality is weaker than a DVD’s, some, like me are like, whoohoo! I’m way out in South Korea and it would be a pain to try to buy and have the DVDs shipped here. Now I can watch them! Of course, some have only audio recordings or audio and video (but the audio is what you’re looking for anyway), and they’re probably better.
Please clarify. Thanks in advance and to the one who brought up catholic-tube!

BTW This guy named Steve Silvia (I don’t remember if he combines both names for his username) sends me his creations on youtube. You’d probably like them.
 
foolishmortal said:
BTW This guy named Steve Silvia (I don’t remember if he combines both names for his username) sends me his creations on youtube. You’d probably like them.
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As long as Steve’s creations are original (ie: they don’t look/sound familiar from something else that you’ve seen/heard before) then it’s fine. 🙂

I always wonder what Mel Gibson thinks of all these people pirating bits of his Passion of the Christ and overlaying his images with either religious-style rap music or sappy praise-and worship tunes. :rolleyes:

I suppose he probably doesn’t have enough time to look at YouTube, though.
 
If tv-shows or movies are posted on youtube they are usually deleted within a few hours. Youtube does not allow people to host movies/tv-shows.

~Scott
 
I was thinking, unless they are recorded in some black market way (such as having a DVD before it goes to the stores or even possibly before the theaters–as some may be using DVDs projectors instead of film ones in big movie-houses), it might be like borrowing a DVD at the library. Somebody buys it and makes it available for everyone. Is this a wrong analogy to use?
 
foolishmortal said:
I was thinking, unless they are recorded in some black market way (such as having a DVD before it goes to the stores or even possibly before the theaters–as some may be using DVDs projectors instead of film ones in big movie-houses), it might be like borrowing a DVD at the library. Somebody buys it and makes it available for everyone. Is this a wrong analogy to use?
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Techincally it’s actually illegal(but perhaps not immoral!) to do that too. I bolded the part that is technically illegal.

It is actually illegal to hire something at a videoshop then lend it to your friend, or to copy it somehow. But this law is naturally rarely enforced because, while it is right for it to be illegal, it’s pretty much unpolicable (unless done in large quantities) , but it does remain an actual law(in my country at least). The justification is that the rental laws actually state that the dvd is hired by the member for “private in home use” and is not to be “Lent”, “copied” or “Shown Publically”(literally all the dvds usually say!) without the permission of the author. Since giving the DVD to a friend counts as “Lending” it’s a breach of the copywrite laws. Heck organising a private friends only “film night” is technically illegal without the permission of the Author. People have actually been sued over that

more infomation on my own country’s Copywrite laws:

reeldialogue.com/documents/copyrightissuesforministry.pdf
www.copyright.org.au/pdf/acc/infosheets_pdf/G069.pdf
 
teadough said:
In the past,when I did download videos and music,youtube was never a consideration due to the poor quality that is normally kept. There are thousands of other sites and each of those sites have “mirror” sites,so the likely hood of this type of piracy going away soon is nowhere near and then there are the file hosting sites around that are were intended for actual Data files. I have files at these sites and these can be handy for if I were out of town and needed to pull one. Actually,I have a Scott Hahn mp3 file that could be downloaded by anyone,provided that I gave a link. I am not even sure if that one is copywrited but that is not the point.

As soon as you get into the area where you are talking about sites having to have Mods and such that is where you are going to run into a problem. This is where they are getting borderlined with Chinas policy on internet content. As much as the internet needs to be safeguarded the idea of the goverment really taking a stance and stepping in for the good of video/music media is unlikely in my opinion
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I believe that censorship is important in keeping the internet relativly clean. While I do not believe in censorship of “Ideas” or “opposing voices”, I do believe in the full censorship of “Pornographic”, “Illegal” and otherwise “Offensive” material. I do not think this is the same thing as what china is doing is openly political and is not about making the internet “family friendly” but rather “opossition less” and “biased”. I do not support such political based filtering but I do support the censorship of inappropriate material.
 
The only Youtube videos I watch are the ones put on by the bands or music or TV companies. There is no fear of them being put on illegally then. Would it be wrong to download Youtube videos to watch when there is no internet connection around?
 
I only watch Irish and Scottish Musicians on You Tube. A lot of them play by Ear so there is no Copyright Infringment.

On Comhaltas you have to play by Ear as playing to Music is discouraged.

I think the reason for that is Irish traditional music was handed down from one generation to the next that way and they want it to continue.
There is also a lifelong controveresy that people who play by Ear say if you dont play by Ear your not a good Musician.

Antrim
 
colliric said:
I believe that censorship is important in keeping the internet relativly clean. While I do not believe in censorship of “Ideas” or “opposing voices”, I do believe in the full censorship of “Pornographic”, “Illegal” and otherwise “Offensive” material. I do not think this is the same thing as what china is doing is openly political and is not about making the internet “family friendly” but rather “opossition less” and “biased”. I do not support such political based filtering but I do support the censorship of inappropriate material.
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I would NEVER start down a path of restricting free speech. Do not look at that stuff if it offends you. We lead people to Christ by example and not by force. Look at the Jews in Jesus’ time. They put Christ to death because he violated the Jews laws. Fighting pornograhy is not accomplished by censorship, but by charity and example.
 
For youtube videos you need to remeber that clips and cuts of tv shows is perfectly allowed for commentary, education, political discourse, etc. This is called reasonable use and is part of US copyright law.

Where people run into problems is when they post entire works of art that clearly do not fall under the reasonable use clause.

As for the theft part, that is very debatable. I highly doubt you are commiting a sin by watching anything on youtube that is not violating some moral law.

Do you think twice about using the DVR or VCR in your house to record a tv show? Do you worry if you play that recording when you have friends over? The media companies would tell you this is theft, but the courts say otherwise.

My advice is don’t worry about this type of stuff. Youtube is an information service so they have legal protections when users post “illegal” content. Youtube has to satisfy two simple rules:
  1. remove offending content when presented with legitiate claims of infringement.
  2. Not knowingly capitalize on illegal content on the site. This would basically mean ignoring number 1 or ignoring blatent violations of number 1.
 
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