User:TombRaiser/Video Policy

DRAFT: ELDER SCROLLS VIDEO POLICY

Overview
In order to ensure that we have the most copyright-compliant videos possible on our site, users are no longer allowed to upload videos to this site.

But you still have a very important role to play in improving our video library! If you've found a video that's compliant with this policy, but one which we don't currently have at Special:Videos, by all means please provide a url to it at TES:Video recommendations.

Only videos uploaded from Video.wikia.com or by the copyright holder or official licensee may be used on any article pages, talk pages or forum pages.

The following are Admin preferences to take into account when making video recommendations: the relevance of the content; the pertinence of the visual format, i.e. the video is not simply duplicating something that can be conveyed in equal measure with text; the quality/accuracy of the video in question; no use of profanity; no commentary.

Technical limitations
Due to technical restrictions, video names cannot include the following three characters:

If you try, the system will automatically substitute a hyphen, such that


 * Series 7 Trailer#1

will become
 * Series 7 Trailer-1

Fan video
The implication of the above two sections is fairly obvious, but, for the sake of clarity, it's worth tackling directly. Fan videos are therefore not allowed here. There are other wikis out there for your great new Elder Scrolls fan fiction videos, such as The Elder Scrolls Fanon Wiki. We, however, are not here to help promote your unlicensed fan video, even on your user page, even on your blog. If you want to link to your fan video on your blog or user pages, of course you may. But you may not embed your video here, as it's simply a copyright nightmare that we don't want to ever be forced to defend.

Links to videos
With the exception of links from the user and user blog namespaces to videos you have personally created, you may not link to videos, period. If the video is allowed by policy, then you should upload and display it on the page. If the video is not allowed by policy, then you can't simply provide a link to it in an effort to get around policy. Penalties for linking are no less severe than uploading, because "uploading" videos to Wikia is really just embedding a link.

Compliant videos
To see videos that are present on this wiki and that comply with our video policy see our videos compliant with our video policy category. Users who upload a video and know it is compliant with the policies outlined above should add good video to their video pages.

Administrators are required to accept the recommendations of Special:LicensedVideoSwap, and swap for a Wikia-licensed version if there be no significant difference between the Wikia-licensed version and the copyright holder-licensed version. If there are differences, it might be advisable to check with other admin to see whether there's a particularly good reason to hang on to the copyright holder-licensed version.

Penalties for violation of this policy
The consequences of circumventing this policy are severe, and are in part informed by our blocking policy. However, violations of this policy have extremely serious implications for the running of this site. For this reason, you may get a warning on your first offense — but don't count on it. Expect any blocks handed out, especially for repeat offenders, to be on the order of months, not days. Permanent blocking will most certainly occur on your third offense — but the admins reserve the right to extend the opportunity for you to leave our community before you get to your third strike.

That said, we do want to leverage the power of video on this site. We simply need to use material which is clearly sanctioned by the copyright holders and/or licensees.