How to avoid copyright when posting movie review videos

Movie reviews are one of the most popular video formats today, attracting a huge number of viewers. However, along with that attraction comes the “haunting” risk of copyright infringement. Just a few seconds of inserting movie scenes, using original background music or famous dialogue can cause your video to be removed, lose revenue, or even have your channel blocked. So how to review movies without copyright infringement, let’s find out more with VCD!

What is a movie review video?

Movie review videos are a type of content in which the creator (reviewer) analyzes, comments on, and shares personal feelings about a movie. The goal of the video is not only to summarize the content, but also to help viewers understand more deeply about the message, acting, filming techniques, script, or the meaning behind each detail.

Depending on the style, each reviewer can choose a different direction of expression in the movie review video:

• Emotional review: Recounting the true feelings after watching the movie.

• In-depth analysis: Focus on the script, images, sound, director.

• Explaining the ending, Easter Egg, hidden details: Often seen in channels specializing in Marvel, DC, or psychological – detective movies.

However, to make the video more attractive, many people often insert images, sounds, or excerpts from the movie to illustrate the words. This is the reason why the video is copyrighted if not used properly. Therefore, to develop a sustainable channel, each reviewer needs to clearly understand the concept of copyright and the principles of fair use when creating content related to movies.

Understanding copyright in movie review videos

When it comes to movie review videos, many people often mistakenly think that as long as “not posting the full movie” will not violate copyright. However, in reality, the 2022 Vietnamese Intellectual Property Law and the terms of social networking platforms clearly stipulate that all cinematographic works, images, sounds, background music, dialogues, etc. in the film are protected by copyright.

Specifically, Article 20 of the 2022 Intellectual Property Law stipulates: “The author or copyright owner has the exclusive right to perform or authorize others to perform the copying, distribution, screening, and communication of the work to the public.” This means that cutting, quoting, or replaying part of the film content in a review video is still considered an act of copying or communication without the consent of the copyright owner.

However, the law also allows for some legal exceptions. According to Article 25 of the 2022 Intellectual Property Law, quoting a work without distorting the author’s intention, without affecting the normal exploitation of the original work, and clearly stating the source can be considered legal. Therefore, movie review videos are only allowed to use images, sounds, and short clips for the purpose of commenting, commenting, and analyzing, not for commercial purposes or illegal distribution.

How to avoid copyright when posting movie review videos

To post movie review videos safely, legally, and still attract viewers, you need to apply many of the following measures at the same time:

• Only use images and short clips for commentary purposes: According to Article 25 of the 2022 Intellectual Property Law, reasonable citation is allowed if it is for the purpose of illustration, commenting, commenting, or reporting without distorting the original work and clearly stating the source of the quote. Therefore, you should only use short clips (a few seconds) or still images to illustrate the analysis content, absolutely do not post full-length movies, unreleased trailers, or leaked content.

• Clearly state the source and respect the copyright owner: In the description or right on the video, clearly state: “Images and sounds are taken from the movie [Movie name] – copyrighted by [Producer/Distributor name]. The video is for commentary purposes only, not commercial.” This not only shows respect for copyright but also helps the platform (YouTube, TikTok, etc.) identify your purpose of use as analysis – review, not replaying the original work.

• Limit the use of background music and original sounds from movies: Many videos are copyrighted not because of the images, but because the sound or background music belongs to the producer. The safe solution is: Use copyright-free music in the library of YouTube Studio, Bensound, or Free Music Archive. If you want to keep the movie sound, insert a commentary (voice-over) or add a distortion effect, reduce the volume, to ensure the purpose of use is analysis and not copying the original.

• Create unique content: A review video is only truly engaging when it expresses a personal point of view, a creative perspective, not simply a replay of a film. You should focus on: Commenting on the plot, acting, and message of the film; making comparisons, analyzing themes, or cultural perspectives; adding custom graphics, illustrations, or animations instead of the original image.

• Check carefully before posting: Before publishing, you should check: Does the video contain any unauthorized music, images or clips; does it display a copyright note and a clear origin? If you post it on YouTube, you can try turning on the “Check copyright before publishing” mode in the video upload section to see if you are automatically warned.

Above is “How to avoid copyright when posting movie review videos” to help you better understand the legal regulations and legal ways to create content related to movies. Hopefully this article will help you when creating movie review content.

Sincerely,