Question: I bought a DVD of one of my favorite old movies, and I want to share the movie on YouTube, because not many people have seen it. Is that legal?
Response: “Ripping” (copying a file off of a physical disc) a copyrighted movie and uploading it to YouTube is illegal unless it is authorized. The Copyright Act of 1976 gives the movie's owner the right to control distribution and copying. Your ripping and posting violates those rights unless it is permitted as a fair use. Fair use allows limited uses of a copyrighted work for purposes such as parody, education, and criticism. You can read more about fair use here, but beware that a judge is the final decider of whether a fair use claim is valid and you most likely can't afford to get into a legal battle to prove that defense. If you post an unauthorized video or a video that contains unauthorized music, YouTube will likely take it down per a DMCA request by the copyright owner. You can read more about copyright infringement and the DMCA here.
Answered by Rich Stim
Additional Resources: Copyright Laws
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