How Exactly Does Vimeo Copyright Match Affect us?

Copyright

by Tim FokJune 5^th, 2014

The announcement of Vimeos new copyright match system has been quite a hot topic recently. The feature prevents use of all public audio content hosted by Vimeo without an appropriate license or successful appeal for fair use. Many people who follow procedures and license their music properly may wonder exactly how this affects them, so audio online resource The Music Bed has come forward to explain the process of ensuring a fuss free workflow.

Firstly, if you haven’t already read up on Vimeo’s new policy, please visit their blog here.

With properly licensed music, fortunately the process is quick and easy. Here’s a step-by-step guide from The Music Bed.

1. Upload your video to Vimeo
2. If public, it will be scanned for copyrights.
3. If content is flagged, you will see an option to submit an appeal.
4. Simply submit the unique transaction ID found on your The Music Bed license agreement (downloadable with every music purchase)
5. Your video will go live as soon as your appeal is submitted, and stay live while it is being reviewed.

The latter point is key; your video will remain live whilst under review. This means there will be no downtime between submitting your proof of license and it being accepted. However, it is yet to be seen how other music licensed from other services will be handled.

I’ve since spoken with host of other audio library based websites asking what their process is with the new Vimeo policy. Marmoset has confirmed the same protocol; entering a unique user ID will be suffice for Vimeo to view that the correct license is in place. However with Marmoset a flag is less likely, since Marmoset is a primarily an exclusive licensing entity, and very few of their artists will have their catalogs registered with the audio scanning system.

It will take a bit of teething, but soon this process will be second nature to all. On first announcement of the new policy, it was a large concern that scanning private videos as well as public content would be detrimental to many workflows involving client previews and unlicensed music.

Fortunately Vimeo responded very quickly and announced that private videos (as well as uploaded content previous to the new policy) will not be scanned. Also, a Vimeo member of staff will carry out all appeals, and not an automated service. It’s this flexibility and personal execution that should help the transition of this policy run smoothly. We’re sure there might be hick-ups in the beginning, but it’s nice to see Vimeo handle this in a very Vimeo-style (meaning: personal and friendly) manner.