You definitely are not. Google wants that. You want to embed though, you cannot download a video and pretend it is your own. You can however embed any video from Youtube on your website without any issue at all. :)

Appreciate your reply. Maybe images are more of a risk than videos?

The letter I received had nothing to do with Google.

There is a law firm by the name of Higbee & Associates that built a system that scours for profit websites to see if any are using images without a license to do so.

I have learned they do this for companies like Pixaby, Getty Images, etc.

The image I had used said it was a "Free to use" image.

I learned later that even if a company has an image posted as "for Free" (no license needed), the image may only be "Free" for a short period. Once the image is no longer "Free" it once again requires a license to use on a for profit website.

The software Higbee uses apparently can't discern
"the specific date" someone uploaded the image (I call Bull on that).

Anyway, I had to waste my time documenting when I uploaded the image or was threatened with paying a license fee or going to court.

I have learned Higbee & Associates are a slimy law firm that operates on the fringe of the law, yet still within the law.

I also learned Higbee & Associates often threatens "alledged" copyright infringers with either paying several hundred dollars for an image license or go to court and risk being sued for $10,000+ dollars.

Higbee & Associates are apparently well known for sending out threatening letters. In fact, someone created a Facebook group called "Scamletterinfo" where group members can share their experiences and how they handled the threats.

From the Facebook group I learned a number of folks pay the licensing fee versus going to court (as hiring a lawyer would cost much more).

Others in the group say they ignored the letters. Some never heard from Higbee & Associates again while others were served and sued.

In the end it's a gamble so I am glad I didn't have to make a choice.

In any case that's why I am hesitant to upload any images, videos, etc...even if I give credit in huge bold letters to the originator of said images or videos.

Read thru this thread and thought I'd pipe in.

Such conduct on the part of a law firm is really pretty low. I realize some people may pay a fee after receiving such a threat even though the reality is that no one is realistically going to sue over the use of an image even if it is copyrighted. The damages a court would likely award are not significant and, therefore, a lawsuit isn't economically warranted. I would certainly never respond to a letter from a firm like Dewey, Cheatem and Howe!

The real danger lies in this. I have seen some content creators advise that, if you use their videos without their express, written permission, they will complain to the platform about the violation.

For me, the loss of my YouTube channel would not be worth embedding a video where the creator has taken such a position. If you lose your channel and you have spent a lot of time creating content on it, that could well be a significant loss.

Appreciate your input as a lawyer and as a fellow WA member. Thank You!

Most welcome Dave! Hope you're having an incredible day!

Grant

Yikes. Scary! Not a fan of such law firms. Sorry you went through that.

Yeah, the first option is quicker, but comes with a few less of the controls that Youtube offers you directly. You absolutely do not need to show attribution to the creator, as that is included in the video. So that is not a good idea, as it is not needed and it will lead to additional traffic leak.

I understand, thanks, Kyle.

No problem, glad you enjoyed it Tinuke!

Great to hear! Embedding Youtube videos is simple, but should be done in cases where it adds value to you content, not saves you a bunch of work. If you can create content that fulfills your audiences intent, then there is no need to add a video.

So we all need to make sure we avoid video, for the sake of adding video..and it needs a practical purpose.

I see and what kind of practical purpose, Kyle?

Myra 💜

Well just if is adds value to your content. For example if you are showing something that is more difficult to explain, a walk-through type video that is hands on.

And you can also leverage your own youtube content, for example if you wanted to offer a video/text review style page, you could certainly do that.

Google is not super keen on content that littered with youtube videos, so there is a time and a place.

Oh I see. I got it now, Kyle. Thanks! 😁

Myra 💜