Somebody let Jenius know that someone is re-uploading his videos on YouTube...

[Astralith]

Came across this. Confused the hell out of me. 

Note: This video is not from Scorched Earth Toys' channel but is a re upload by "Zachary Curtis".   

Edited September 30, 2017 by Astralith

[jenius]

 Thanks I'll check it out when I'm in front if a computer again and do the copyright thing... Guess my videos are getting more popular with all the re-uploading going on lately.

Update- copyright complaints submitted. I think there's some Russian media outlet that is trying to drive traffic to their clips so they use bots to create a bunch of fake accounts that contain a ton of their Russian video clips and then copy other videos from other users to make it seem less fake... and for some reason I'm always one of those other users... probably a Macross fan helped write the code for the bot.

Edited September 30, 2017 by jenius

[kajnrig]

By the by, how'd the earlier copyright strike go? Hopefully this won't turn into a recurring thing... :/

[jenius]

Youtube kinda sucks. Someone can, and did, copy a ton of my library and there's no ability to report that user so long as that user isn't pretending to be me (though I would say anyone who copies all your videos is implicitly impersonating). Instead, I have to go to each video and pair it with my original video in a copyright complaint. They also cap how many copyright complaints you can make a day. So, if someone copies 100 of my videos, I have to submit like 15 copyright complaints a night to get each video taken down until I've gotten them all removed. Each night Youtube reviews the complaints, sides with me, and takes down the 15 individual videos. I don't think anything happens to the user... they just have their content disappear and anyone who uses the URL will get the "this video was taken down for copyright reasons" error. So, I appreciate when you guys let me know my videos are getting copied. Unfortunately, this is just a hobby i do in my spare time so all the copyright stuff does take away from my ability to generate new stuff.

[tekering]

On 9/30/2017 at 2:30 PM, jenius said:

I appreciate when you guys let me know my videos are getting copied. Unfortunately, this is just a hobby i do in my spare time so all the copyright stuff does take away from my ability to generate new stuff.

I'm still something of a YouTube noob -- so forgive the ignorance -- but why bother going to all the effort?  How does it hurt you if somebody else copies and re-uploads your video reviews?  Is it really worth your time to be submitting all these copyright complaints?

[jenius]

If it's worth it is a good question but a view on someone else's channel is one less view on my channel and you make money when people view your channel... not your content on other people's channels.

[mickyg]

Bingo!  Get enough views and YouTube becomes a source of income.  Maybe not much but enough to keep content coming in most cases.  And Jenius' stuff is quality so I'd like to see his content continue to be worthwhile for him.

I'd love to have something that would be worth people's time to watch but sadly, I'm just nowhere near that goal yet.  We live in some exciting times where a hobby/interest/niche can actually be a source of income for those brave enough to make something that the public will watch.  I am a huge fan!

[Valkyrie Driver]

Here is the link to the User's page. I've seen the video above, and the VF-31J pop up with his username attached, though when I searched his page, I did not find the videos. He's a multiple offender so, there it is.

I'm a big fan of Jenius' work, he's helped me make good buying decisions in the past with his reviews and I'd like to support his endeavor however I can. I'll keep bringing re-uploaded videos to your attention whenever I find them.

 

[Chronocidal]

While I don't know if individually flagging every duped video is worth the time, what you maybe could do is build an intro/disclaimer for any future videos (and that could possibly be tacked on the front of any older ones) that makes your ownership clear, and directs people to the proper channel. 

It might not stop people from duping the videos, but branding them with your logo, site, and copyright from the get-go will make it harder for them to pass off your videos as their own.  It could also generate a decent amount of community support, since it'll be clear to viewers that they should be flagging the video as stolen.

[jenius]

That's a great suggestion. I was hoping to make the jump to 4K in the new year, maybe a better branded/standardized intro should be part of that process. 

[Sanity is Optional]

Also I hate to say it, but you might want to throw a couple splash-screens with logo/website/youtube channel in if you're making any cuts during the video. Or even a tiny watermark in the corner.

If they just start removing the intro that is.

Edited October 2, 2017 by Sanity is Optional

[no3Ljm]

Don't forget also to put little 'watermarks' all throughout your video. They might cut the intro and outro then atleast you have your 'watermark'.

 

[TheLoneWolf]

I completely agree. A subtle, but persistent watermark that refers back to your channel is the best way to combat this sort of theft. I understand that you might be worried that a watermark may irk some viewers, but honestly, they're becoming so common now most viewers wouldn't mind. Plus, your videos are well worth it.

[Chronocidal]

If the videos are just being bot-duped to populate channels with content, they probably won't want to put forth the effort to strip an intro to the video, but having your Anymoon watermark in the corner for the entire video couldn't really hurt.  Kind of a comforting sight actually, considering how familiar it is from all your review photos.  

Edited October 2, 2017 by Chronocidal

[Sildani]

16 hours ago, jenius said:

That's a great suggestion. I was hoping to make the jump to 4K in the new year, maybe a better branded/standardized intro should be part of that process. 

See if you can license the music Bandai uses for their transformation videos. It’s catchy!

[Valkyrie Driver]

I was going to suggest that you make a disclaimer or something, but I find it annoying when YouTubers do the shameless self-plug at the start of their videos. 

In this case it might be the only option though, so...

[Sandman]

5 hours ago, Sildani said:

See if you can license the music Bandai uses for their transformation videos. It’s catchy!

Oh god no. I hate when reviewers play music during their reviews especially the ones who have the music so loud that you can't hear what they are saying.

[no3Ljm]

Nice! Looks like the account on the OP's post has been terminated by YouTube.

 

[Lolicon]

Now if there were only a way to stop the biggest video theft site of all: Facebook.

[jenius]

Hey everybody, thanks for all the feedback when I was going through this. I've tried to address much of it in the new format. The content of this video is less than exciting but please check it out and let me know what you think! I pulled together an intro which would only change a bit from video to video and added an overlay over the entire video. 

FYI, my channel has a name different from the web address because I don't own 'anymoon.com'. So I call it Scorched Earth Toys so I can retain that name if I ever have to pack my bags and move to another website. Fortunately, these days, that seems very unlikely...

[packrat]

Great review. Always love your reviews, so informative & you're not afraid to play with the toys. Especially enjoy those featuring your guest reviewer

[Sildani]

I like it! Well done. 

[TheLoneWolf]

Good work, the persistent logos should deter video thieves. But I think the logos themselves are a little too "busy" and thus a bit distracting. I'd suggest using flat colors and/or a sans serif font.

[Sandman]

The persistent logos an text are annoying unfortunately. I think the font is the main offender. It's unfortunate it's come to this. I'll miss the clean videos.

[jenius]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I think I have a less intrusive solution, I'll probably get another practice video up tonight.

[jenius]

Okay, here's basically part 2 of the previous video. I've used the Youtube branding feature to create a little "subscribe now" waterwork. Unfortunately, and inexplicably, Youtube doesn't scale this with resolution so in HD this icon is tiny. So, I've added another watermark but it's a solo watermark that's transparent in an area that is almost always occupied by my arm so it will hopefully be much less intrusive. I've also started using Youtube cards and end screens which I don't think will make anyone super excited but I'm following "best practices" now. Anyway, here's the 'newer' format... obviously it will be a bit of a 'work-in-process' for a while but I think this is good enough for me to start moving forward.

 

[Sandman]

That is much better.

[Chronocidal]

Just watched both, and definitely think the logo in the bottom left works better than occupying both top corners.  New format looks really promising, and should keep your content from getting copied.   I do think the lower left watermark could go even lower, but it's not opaque enough to be intrusive, and you're correct, it's generally just covering part of your hand.

[mcfly50]

Long, long time watcher...first time commenter...huge fan. 

Watermark is a great idea and I’m ok with its location. However, I’m not a fan of how everyone has to have some long custom intro on YouTube. I just skip over them every time and it’s annoying. I long for the days when Youtube didn’t have that. The ones I don’t are just a quick logo and maybe on their 2 seconds (ex. Bens collectibles logo) and then he goes straight into his reviews. Yours isn’t bad, but it is unnecessary and I prefer your straight to business greeting and review. I’m probably not articulating this as well as I could, but some of you guys probably know what I’m talking about. I hate it when guys have to talk for 1-3 minutes about nothing and then say “without further delay let’s get to the review.” You never do that, but intros drag it out even longer and I’m just fast forwarding most of the time. BTW, I’m also fine with a YouTube channel owner giving me an update on themselves or future plans for their channel separate. It just doesn’t need to be tied to a review. Especially in something niche like this community when folks go back years to watch and learn something about a toy they just finally got. That’s my two cents. You are doing a fantastic job.  You basically are the only reviewer/English speaking Macross, Robotech, Mospeada reviewer I’ve seen and have a loyal following. You don’t need to change unless it is something you want to do. 

[Duymon]

If he doesn't want to watermark he can put a logo or something into his Photobooth Background. it'll be way harder to edit something like that out.

[jenius]

I think it's easier and cheaper to add the watermark in post than to incorporate in the backdrop, the trick is to find the spot that detracts the least but it will have to be a tiny bit bothersome to serve it's function. The backdrop right now is just photo paper (changed from a white cloth muslin). The paper will also be gray going forward so I won't wash out white toys as bad. You'll see it for the first time on the HMR 2SS review I'm working on. That said, if you know of a good way to get a logo printed on a backdrop let me know, it certainly sounds like a good solution.

I hear you on the intro length, my goal is to make an intro that is functional. Yeah, it needs the name and URL, but it also needs to establish some of the basics. Who makes the toy? What scale is it? What line is it from? What show was it in? I also seem to be doing a poor job differentiating my transformation guides from reviews so hopefully the intro can help there. I get a lot of people that comment on the guides like they should be reviews and the reviews like they should be guides. That may be unavoidable but I'm going to try to make it more clear (and I really like that format so I don't plan on changing it). The cards that direct transformation videos to the reviews, and vice versa, should help. I do promise that my intro will be a consistent time once I've settled on the format so that, for people who don't need it, they can skip straight to the same mark every time to avoid it. I think 24 seconds is a pretty tight window, maybe I can get it down to an even 20.

I really appreciate the feedback guys!

[Sanity is Optional]

What about a 1-sec long splash-screen when you cut between transformations or other video sections? Much harder to remove than one at the start.

[jenius]

Can you link to an example? How I envision it sounds kind of jarring. Are you thinking of that instead of an intro or in lieu of a permanent watermark in the lower left hand corner like the last video?

[Sanity is Optional]

Just now, jenius said:

Can you link to an example? How I envision it sounds kind of jarring. Are you thinking of that instead of an intro or in lieu of a permanent watermark in the lower left hand corner like the last video?

I'm more thinking of when there's a cut between different video segments, like if you put more than 1 transformation in a video. In that case you're already doing a fairly jarring cut.