Is there any breaking of copright laws with posting a trailer for a motion picture onto your website?

Question

I love movies and I am thinking of creating my own movie site with reviews. I am also thinking of putting pictures of the movie onto this site and I might even post a trailer of the film online. Does doing anything like this break any copyright laws? If so, what could I do to avoid getting in trouble?

Answer 1

Yes, copying a movie trailer that you are not licensed to distribute would be copyright infringement. That's because the trailer is itself a separate creative work, that you are copying.

You can write reviews -- and you could use still-images of the movie ads as a fair use reference to identify the movie.

Some studios might also have trailers that are available under a standard license for reviewers -- so check for each movie.

Answer 2

Movie trailers are copyrighted by the movie production company. What you need to is figure out the contact addresses of the organizations in whose name the stuff is copyrighted, contact them & ask permission.

You need to have permission in writing, stored some place reliable (not on a computer that if it goes down you might lose some of what is there).

What can happen ... you get permission from one office of the organization, another office sees what you doing, does not know you have permission, harrasses you ... well you need to be able to show you have permission.

It would be less hassle if you get blanket permission for any or all movies from the same place, instead of permission for each and every movie.

Answer 3

Yes. You can avoid trouble by getting written permission to use the clips.

Answer 4

yes. you must get permission form the publicist of the said movie or get shut down.

Answer 5

yes because you didn't get permission from the publisher