Severe Weather Video Stream Theft

[Brett Adair]

Okay.....this is a topic that is seriously beginning to burn my ass. I'm using severe studios as a video host as many of you are, and several of these damn media folk think they can just take my stream and do as they please with it! I even had a copyright in there Saturday night since we were known as the "WAFF-48 Storm Trackers" and two other stations STILL picked it up without permission!!!! I'm invoicing the hell out of them because I am fed up and if they refuse to pay I have already consulted council. Is anyone else having this problem???!!! These folks don't understand that they are also hurting business you already have if you have exclusivity agreements with a station within that market!

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Ummmm ... what the heck?

Yes, please let me pay money to a service so someone else can profit from it.

I really hope this is mistaken -

 

[Ben Prusia]

I also hope this was mistaken...

There might be something going on that we probably don't know about...

 

[Chad Cowan]

I've been considering using Severe Studios to stream future chases but the possibility of this type of thing happening is turning me off to the idea. I'm also not a big fan of the 'Moderator Feed' which shows the best stream at the moment- with no display of the streamer's name. Just seems like they're repackaging the material as their own.

 

[Brett Adair]

Don't get me wrong.....I'm not throwing the blame at Severe Studios because they are actually helping me build a case! Sending me archived footage, emails that this station sent them for INSTRUCTIONS on how to get a feed on TV, etc. They still went AGAINST what they were told and STOLE it! I have a meeting for a minute.....I'll be back to post more of the story soon.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

We're still figuring out everything with our moderator stream. I don't think it even ever occurred to us to put names on there - And I'm not sure how easily it'd be technically. Currently we're overlaying graphics made in photoshop, so I'm not sure it'd be easy to create a graphic for every single one of our 105 streamers and open it, add it ot the stream and go live with it every time.

If you've been listening to the audio at all, the person in charge of the moderator feed has ALWAYS announced who the video is from. I suppose it's possible that we've not announced it before, but we definitely aren't trying to 'package it as our own'.

Our main concern from day 1 was to give all the chasers due credit. We do not want to claim their video as our own at all. Whenever TV stations contact us, we always refer them directly to the chaser they are interested in streaming. Furthermore, we have listed on our portal page this:

"NOTE: Video streams are a copyright of the individual storm chasers and are NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE OR REBROADCAST without prior licensing agreements."

Under each stream we have this:
"Not for rebroadcast without prior written permission"

I'm not sure what else we could do to help out in this matter. We have given Brett every single one of his archives and will help him out in every way possible in fighting this blatant theft of his stream.

On the flip side, many TV stations have contacted us prior to airing feeds, and some of our streamers have actually sold licenses to the local TV stations and covered gas/expenses for said chase. The National Weather Service in Memphis also believes that on 5/2 we saved many lives and helped out with warning coordination just by our streams. They were able to verify which storms were tornadic and which ones were not just by our streaming video. We would love to have you apart of our service Chad, and we wouldn't ever claim the video as our own - That is just not how we are.

 

[Brett Adair]

We're still figuring out everything with our moderator stream. I don't think it even ever occurred to us to put names on there - And I'm not sure how easily it'd be technically. Currently we're overlaying graphics made in photoshop, so I'm not sure it'd be easy to create a graphic for every single one of our 105 streamers and open it, add it ot the stream and go live with it every time.

If you've been listening to the audio at all, the person in charge of the moderator feed has ALWAYS announced who the video is from. I suppose it's possible that we've not announced it before, but we definitely aren't trying to 'package it as our own'.

Our main concern from day 1 was to give all the chasers due credit. We do not want to claim their video as our own at all. Whenever TV stations contact us, we always refer them directly to the chaser they are interested in streaming. Furthermore, we have listed on our portal page this:

"NOTE: Video streams are a copyright of the individual storm chasers and are NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE OR REBROADCAST without prior licensing agreements."

Under each stream we have this:
"Not for rebroadcast without prior written permission"

I'm not sure what else we could do to help out in this matter. We have given Brett every single one of his archives and will help him out in every way possible in fighting this blatant theft of his stream.

On the flip side, many TV stations have contacted us prior to airing feeds, and some of our streamers have actually sold licenses to the local TV stations and covered gas/expenses for said chase. The National Weather Service in Memphis also believes that on 5/2 we saved many lives and helped out with warning coordination just by our streams. They were able to verify which storms were tornadic and which ones were not just by our streaming video. We would love to have you apart of our service Chad, and we wouldn't ever claim the video as our own - That is just not how we are.

Exactly......I think some took my post out of context. Svr Studios is trying to help me in every possible way that they can to get this resolved.

Also, as Ben said we have gotten a ton of cred for the 5/2/08 event and people are trying to take advantage of that now it seems. If a media outlet is going to make thousands off of me for my video, I should at least get paid for my expenses. Since these guys want to steal, I will certainly be going for much more than my expenses. Maybe my expenses for the next 25 years or so....

 

[Chad Cowan]

We're still figuring out everything with our moderator stream. I don't think it even ever occurred to us to put names on there - And I'm not sure how easily it'd be technically. Currently we're overlaying graphics made in photoshop, so I'm not sure it'd be easy to create a graphic for every single one of our 105 streamers and open it, add it ot the stream and go live with it every time.

If you've been listening to the audio at all, the person in charge of the moderator feed has ALWAYS announced who the video is from. I suppose it's possible that we've not announced it before, but we definitely aren't trying to 'package it as our own'.

I didn't realize that there was sound with the moderator feed, and announcing the names does ease my concerns with that. It is a nice tool because it keeps the viewer from having to switch back and forth, but it would be good to somehow show the streamer's name on screen.

We would love to have you apart of our service Chad, and we wouldn't ever claim the video as our own - That is just not how we are.

Haha- did you mean "a part"? "Apart" would be the opposite Thanks for addressing my concerns, I'll be streaming next week.

 

[John Erwin]

I think the best way to implement unique labels would be to do it from the Client end.. before it gets to the server for distribution. Some camcorders can do this even.. place a label right on the image (a bit ugly on some models though). Would end up looking a bit like some of those police videos you see on TV.

Hmmm... that might not be a bad idea! If possible you could incorporate all kinds of data into the stream.. time, wx data, name, position..etc...

 

[Brett Adair]

Buy wirecast......you can do it with that software. You don't have to use Windows Media Encoder to stream your feed.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

Severe Studios has given me every credit due for my videos. They have NEVER taken anything as their own or tried to claim it as such. I have received numerous calls from them since I starting using their service to let me know that stations are wanting my feeds.
I personally feel that Brett meant nothing against Severe Studios or vice-a-versa. Brett and I have talked before about this service and are pleased with it's professionalism.
We have both had to deal with the unauthorized use of our videos. Brett more so lately, as I have busted in the last week. As with any anything on the Internet, there is always the possibility of theft or unauthorized use. At the same time, I can not expect Severe Studios to babysit my feeds and see who all gets them. They do not have a list of my customers and I do not pay them enough to verify my feeds going out. If there is a problem, they bend over backwards to help me.
When the few times my feeds have been used without authorization, the stations promptly get a phone call and then a bill for my services. They have all paid and one now subscribes on a monthly basis. Use it some more, as long as you pay.
And to add to that, Thanks Kenny, Kory, and Ben for their service, as I just got a check today from one of my new accounts. 6 month payment in advance. Whoo Hoo.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

I like Wirecast, but the only thing I have found is you need a faster processor to make it really run good. The RAM requiremenst are minimal, but I "think" the Processor recommended is 2.3.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

Yeah, the general idea behind the moderator feed is that we have 1-3 web producers watching the stream IMing the person doing the moderator feed - Then the moderator goes to whichever streams are the most interesting/radar shots/general shots of the moderator to keep it almost like a 'show'. This does 2 things

a. As you mentioned, allows for viewers at home to watch just 1 stream
b. Saves bandwidth as well - It's a lot less bandwidth as everyone is watching just 1 stream instead of watching 10. It also means users aren't having the dreaded dropped video and having to refresh - They can just watch 1 feed, and we deal with all the downfalls of the technology

And yeah, I did mean a part. I'm typing on my laptop keyboard, which isn't always the best. (I use ergonomical ones normally)

 

[kenny_allen]

From SevereStudios Management

I want to take a moment to add to Ben Holcomb’s comments.

Management at SevereStudios.com and SevereStreaming.com are dedicated to stopping and preventing theft of copyrighted video streams. We have worked tirelessly to stop the illegal rebroadcasting of streams on Television Stations and other Websites. When we encounter an issue, we work with that Independent Storm Chaser to identify the issue and provide them with all the support they need to stop the illegal embedding, copying, recording, etc.

We have received hundreds of emails asking to “embed” or “rebroadcast” streaming video on Television and various Websites. In every case, we consult the copyright holder before giving permission. Unfortunately, some individuals are determined to get what they want at any cost. This is where we will fight them everytime.

We have allowed websites to directly link to our website, our chase portal, and individual Chasers’ streaming video feeds (the hyperlinks only). This drives more viewers to the streaming video. This is NOT permission or a license to embed, copy, or rebroadcast the streaming video. “Linking” is merely providing a hyperlink to content already found on our service or the chaser’s website. Television Stations and other websites should not be replaying, rebroadcasting, embedding, etc. any video feed for which they do not have expressed written consent of the copyright holder.

In any case that we get a request to “buy” or “license” the streaming video feeds, we contact the copyright holder (Independent Storm Chaser) to give them the information for the interested party. It is at the discretion of the individual chaser to sell or not sell copyrighted material. We do not set the terms, conditions, or price for any rebroadcast or embedded streaming video for INDEPENDENT CHASERS.

Now, we do have some deals in place for our own SevereStudios.com Chase Team, and a few INDEPENDENT Storm Chasers have also given us approval to answer these types of inquiries on their behalf. There are also Chasers who have acquired their own media contracts. But, for most of the INDEPENDENT Storm Chasers, who stream live video through our service, we DO NOT resell their content. We do not “repackage” the content and provide it to third parties. We are here to help Independent Storm Chasers gain exposure for their own hard work. We are networking for YOU, not against you.

All feeds and images displayed on our Moderated Feed are still copyrighted and are given credit when used. This is typically an “audio” or “read” acknowledgement, but we are working on creating title overlays for each video stream and or picture used.

We also have multiple service levels at www.SevereStreaming.com for your convenience. These different levels are customized for the various needs of the Chasers who do not wish to embed or resell video all the way up to private accounts with unlimited archive access. I encourage all current members and those interested in joining to read through our different levels of service.

We are working on new “terms of service” that will include an “Opt-In” section so we can clearly identify which Independent Storm Chasers want their feeds displayed in the moderated feed, or may wish to resell his/her own copyrighted live video stream to Television networks or other websites. We hope to have this done very soon. We believe this will help us eliminate some of the confusion about the “Live ChaseCam Network”.

Also, I want to make it clear that the Television Station in question was explicitly directed, by me, NOT to rebroadcast or embed video without expressed written consent from us or the copyright holder (Brett Adair). This specific Television station decided to “take” the Chaser’s feed anyway, a clear infringement of copyright law. Now, after the fact, we are working with Brett to clear up this situation. We have provided him with all of our documentation and archived video (including email communications) with that station. I hope Brett wins his battle and we will continue to help in any way we can!

The Storm Chasing Community has put their trust in us. We do not take that lightly. We will continue to work hard to prevent the illegal rebroadcast, embedding, copying, etc. of individual storm chasing feeds. Because there are so many tools out there to subvert current copyright technologies, your help in this fight is appreciated. If you ever encounter a Website or Television Station that you think is illegally taking material, please contact us ASAP.

Thank you for your support!

 

[Steve Miller]

Also, I want to make it clear that the Television Station in question was explicitly directed, by me, NOT to rebroadcast or embed video without expressed written consent from us or the copyright holder (Brett Adair).

It would be nice to have the offending television station info so the rest of us streamers can monitor them too.