# What does it take to just "ask"?????



## katkoota (Feb 25, 2010)

Hello guys

i wanna share a story that happens to me VERY OFTEN in the world of Internet. it really annoys me!!!!!!!!

Few days ago someone sent me a message; asking me if i was aware that my Snowy's video was being used in another website. (the video of Snowy i shared and posted in my own youtube channel once). That someone posted the link to that website for me to have a look. I clicked on that link to view what that website is about and how was my video viewed there.

My video of Snowy was shared via youtube. So people who viewed it in that website can easily tell that it was taken from youtube and can easily click on the video screen which could take them to where it (my video) belongs. I didnt do further search to see what that website is about (no free time for that i had in my hands). But what i did take a quick read through though was the comments left in that website about my video of Snowy. So when I read the comments posted in that website, i wrote my own comment to explain something they were commenting on in that website about my video.

The following day, i noticed that the website owner changed/edited the content of my video and customised it to the website itself. In other words, the video is no longer shared via youtube. The website just took my video. At the end of the video, the website owner who took and edited my video added a thank you to me "youtube.com/katkoota"....... but HELLO? You did not ask for my permission in the first place

I think that once they saw my comment in their website responding to other people who commented about my video there, they assumed that i was o.k. with them having my video posted in their website. Well, i WAS o.k. with them sharing my video via youtube. The content of MY video was not edited and changed to make it as if its their own, so i was fine with it. That said, they NEVER asked ; not when they shared via youtube (i didnt make a big deal out of it..was fine with it) nor when they took my video and edited its content to make it seem like it is from their own website. They simply just took the video and did the changing to it. To be honest, i am annoyed by this!!!! What does it take to just ask if the owner was ok with it??????

I am tired of people taking what i share without permission (happpened a zillion times) in the world of Internet. It makes sharing unpleasant, especially when it does take from your busy personal time to shoot and make the video, post it for others to enjoy....then all of a sudden, someone takes it without asking you first, repost it in another place and who knows, some might use them for their own benefits.

It always happens to me ... sometimes, i just dont succeed in making them remove it 

What does it take to ask for permission first?

Here is the link to the website that i am referring to where my dog's video has been edited: Katkoota's dog Rescues a Turtle [VIDEO]

This really makes sharing no fun! So annoying!

What can i do?

I just wrote them an email explaining this and asking them to either remove the whole video that they edited of mine/my dog or leave the sharing to how it originally was when i left my comment (via youtube).

But what do i do if i didnt hear back from them?

Kat


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Yea...it is pretty rude! Video is very cute, it would of being polite if they gave you credit for the video. Yea....they could of asked permission also.

The website looks like a fun site with lots of collections to create the site. 

I am no expert so I do not know what you can do. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a program out there that when a picture or video taken from a site turns it is disabled. 

We are in a new age of technology and if more people would complain about the "stealing" maybe something can be done about it.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

It is more than annoying, it's against the law. If you know an attorney who can send them a cease and desist letter, that would be great. Otherwise the person who hosts their site would have to be notified of the copyright infringement. They never want a lawsuit on their hands and should comply with your request to take it down tout de suite. Here's a link to the wikipedia explanation. You can Google the digital millenium copyright act and get lots of information.

You can also Google DMCA for lots of useful links.


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

Kat, is there a way to watermark you videos???


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## LilyMyLove (Jul 11, 2009)

On youtube, you can make it so people cannot embed your videos on their site, they can post them but the viewers has to go to your actual view tube page to watch it. I have no idea how they edited it an made it their own, that it not acceptable.


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## katkoota (Feb 25, 2010)

HavaneseSoon said:


> Yea...it is pretty rude! Video is very cute, it would of being polite if they gave you credit for the video. Yea....they could of asked permission also.
> 
> *The website looks like a fun site with lots of collections to create the site.*
> 
> ...


I wish there was a program that protects personal videos and pictures from being taken.

Unfortunatly, the programs that are available out there are those that helps people "steal/take" videos from video hosting websites such as youtube. This is what happened to my video. That website "stole" my video off youtube, saved it in their computer desktop, edited/changed it to fit their website; they also added their own logo on MY video!! How annoying is that. So even if i removed my original video in youtube or closed my youtube channel, that website will still have MY video posted there. They took it. Stole it is a more fitting word. It is just like when a person takes someone else' work at school, for example, without asking for permission, then says thanks to the original owner of the work, i got an A. Yes, that website should be interesting, with all the fun collections. I wonder who else' work they have taken to generate visitors to their website----more money to make the more people visit and view their stolen work. Things should not work this way, in my point of view. That is not ethical. I was not asked for permission. They also added "thanks to youtube.com/katkoota" at the end of that edited changed video of mine. But that does not make it o.k. to steal without asking. i dont make money out of my videos; i just post them for fun and for others to enjoy. The last thing i would want is for someone else to use what i do / takes from my time while i do, in order to generate website visitors - make money out of it. When my video was shared via youtube in that website (For only the first 3 days), that video of snowy rescuing got more than 10,000 views from that website. So that is why the website then stole the original video off youtube, changed it/customized it and added their logo on it. Now, the video that is shown in their website is the stolen copy after they edited it.



pjewel said:


> It is more than annoying, it's against the law. If you know an attorney who can send them a cease and desist letter, that would be great. Otherwise the person who hosts their site would have to be notified of the copyright infringement. They never want a lawsuit on their hands and should comply with your request to take it down tout de suite. Here's a link to the wikipedia explanation. You can Google the digital millenium copyright act and get lots of information.
> 
> You can also Google DMCA for lots of useful links.


Thank u so much for the info as i really have no clue of legal and lawful stuff. I will look through the links. I still did not read back from the website owner. The stolen copy is still being used.



Flynn Gentry-Taylor said:


> Kat, is there a way to watermark you videos???


Yes, that is what in will start doing from now on, Flynn. I will watermark anything i post in the web. This will make the so called professional-looking-website think twice before stealing before asking. 
Thank u as well for commenting on that website for me (hugs)



LilyMyLove said:


> On youtube, you can make it so people cannot embed your videos on their site, they can post them but the viewers has to go to your actual view tube page to watch it. I have no idea how they edited it an made it their own, that it not acceptable.


I used to disable the embed code of my videos. But, what happened in this video of snowy is that the website "took" my video off youtube. They now have a copy of it with them. It isnt shared via youtube anymore.
There are programs that help u steal videos even if you disable the embed code. All they need is the direct URL link to steal and have a copy saved in their desktop/computer (whether the ember code was disabled or not). Then they can edit and change it to their liking and make it look as if it is theirs.
Which is annoying. I will for sure start water marking my videos from now on.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Flynn Gentry-Taylor said:


> Kat, is there a way to watermark you videos???


The trouble with watermarking is that it makes sure the name goes with it, but doesn't prevent it from being used elsewhere. In this case, the site did give her credit, so a watermark wouldn't make any difference.

It's against the law, but unfortunately, it's also an Internet fact of life. I never post anything publicly that I will be upset to see used elsewhere. I protect my images by only posting them at a size that's not useful except for viewing at Internet size. For images that are particularly important, I just don't post them at all.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

I am sorry that happened to you.

But, I have to tell you that I love your videos! I don't think I have ever been to your youtube page before. I just checked it out and they are all adorable!


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## katkoota (Feb 25, 2010)

thank you for your input guys. 
I got it resolved  i received an email in response to mine from that website; they removed the copy that they did the editing and added their logo on. They swapped it back to sharing via youtube  so it is my video (from youtube) that is shown in that website (not a copy that they took).

Kat


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

That's great, Kat. I'm glad you stuck up for yourself, and I'm glad they complied!:whoo:


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

katkoota said:


> thank you for your input guys.
> I got it resolved  i received an email in response to mine from that website; they removed the copy that they did the editing and added their logo on. They swapped it back to sharing via youtube  so it is my video (from youtube) that is shown in that website (not a copy that they took).
> 
> Kat


Good, I am happy you spoke out!


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