Copyright Question
 

Hey guys, I have a Copyright question. I dont know, but maybe somebody has a answer to this.

Say I want to make a youtube show. lets call it....idunno....pancake shed.
now lets say there's a company in Russia that has a youtube show called "Pancake Shed", but it shares nothing in common with my idea other than the name "Pancake Shed".

Is it ok to do my "Pancake Shed"? or should I call it something like "Nexodusrex's Pancake Shed" or just pick a whole new name?

Thanks!

Copyright law varies from country to country, as does the enforcement of said laws when it's regarding a copyright registered in a foreign country (ex. China doesn't recognize most US copyrights). Typically, companies will attempt to get the same copyright registered in every country in which they plan on doing business.

Having said that, it's been my experience that YouTube generally errs on the side of caution. If the owner(s) of that Russian show complain to YT about your vids infringing on [his|her|their] copyright, then YT may pull your vids before they even review the situation.

My suggestion is to come up with a unique name, if possible. Throwing your username in front wouldn't hurt either, since it's already unique.

thanks for the reply. I think I'll stick with the name, and throw my name infront of it. atleast for now as a working title. if I come up with something even better, I'll do it immediatly.

Sounds like a plan. Good luck with the show.

A better answer is that you really cannot copyright a title. What protects it is a trademark registration. IP law is pretty specialized and while a lot of people claim to know everything, few do. In all cases consult an actual IP lawyer.

And dealing with any of this internationally is a major mess. Do a trademark search of the title, and if no one has it claimed you can probably go ahead and use it with no actual legal issues- although what Youtube would do is another thing as that is set by their Terms of use.

A little late to the party, but sound advice nonetheless.

^This pretty much

Also copyright only is respected if it is defended. :Elmer

Personally i think its huge scam that people get to patent random words that are part of our culture, pig genes and all that stuff...

Lets just say if you are outside the US and the EU, you wont have to worry too much, since the big corporations dont get to bully you too much.