Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA asked in Copyright for California

Q: Is it legal to create a service that charges for short movie clips to be used in youtube videos?

Similar to Storyblocks, I had the idea of creating a service that consolidates short movie clips into one location so that they can be used for documentaries and video essays. I know there are many youtubers that use movie clips to help keep the viewer entertained, but I'm wondering if creating a service to make it easier for youtubers to find those movie clips would be against copyright laws?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Robert P. Cogan
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Answered
  • Intellectual Property Lawyer
  • San Diego, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: Probably. More facts would be needed for an answer. The studios spend tremendous amounts of money to make the movies those clips come from. They tend to get upset when somebody takes their property for free.

There are probably legal ways to provide this service that do not involve copying of the clips. An attorney can help you explore possibilities.

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