Is there a copyright issue for TikTok or YouTube users who upload a short film on the app?
<p>Uploading an entire movie without permission from the copyright holder is definitely an issue.</p>
<p>Since everyone is doing it and nobody gets sued, can we assume it is <strong>not</strong> a copyright violation? (Not necessarily, right?)</p>
<p>There should be more detail and complex lines over here. Please help me understand better.</p>

<p>No, one cannot safely assume that because some people have done a thing without being sued, that it is OK to do a similar thing and no suit is possible.</p>
<p>It is possible that people who upload a video, or a section of it, have permission. It is perhaps more likely that the copyright owner does not choose to sue, for whatever reason. But a different owner of a different video might make a different choice.</p>
<p>Uploading a video, or even a section of a video, without permission, will be copyright infringement, unless an <em><strong>exception to copyright</strong></em> such as <em><strong>fair use</strong></em> or <em><strong>fair dealing</strong></em> applies. Such an infringement gives the copyright owner valid grounds to bring a suit. But the owner can choose whether or not to sue.  An owner can sue in one case of infringement but not in another, for any reason or none.</p>
<p>If the expected damages are small, it many not be worth the time, trouble, and costs to sue. In the US, one must register a copyright before bringing suit for infringement of that copyright, and there is a fee for registration. Some owners feel strongly about the use of their work, and will sue on any pretext. Some may prefer to tacitly support uses that they approve of by not bringing suit. One cannot tell the attitude of a particular owner unless that owner has stated what his or her view is.</p>
<p>Short films are just as protected as full-length feature films, and suit can be filed for infringing the copyright on a short film. But the more expensive a film was to make, and the more money the owner expects it to earn, the more likely it is that the owner will choose to sue.</p>
<p>Many people infringe by uploading short films or videos, gambling that the copyright owners will never learn of this, or will not trouble to sue. Sometimes such infringers are correct, and sometimes they get sued.</p>
<p>I do not understand what the OP means by the part of the question that reads &quot;<em>There should be more detail and complex lines over here</em>&quot; What additional detail is wanted? Who does the OP expect to provide it? What sort of &quot;lines&quot; does this refer to?</p>

copyright youtube