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What can be done about temple ceremonies that have been recorded, sponsored, and posted on Youtube? The one that popped up on my Facebook page I wasn't able to remove. I contacted Facebook and explained the sacred nature of those ceremonies and that they are not for public display and asked that it be removed or at least let me block it on my profile. I also informed them I was contacting my Church headquarters and Youtube. The person who posted it is Helen Waite. Is there a copyright law? Thanks.

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I'm inclined to conclude that 1) The Church leaders and lawyers know about this already and 2) They have done or are doing everything they can within the law to stop the distribution of this material. So if it looks like they haven't done enough then it is beyond their control under the law and/or the rules of Facebook and YouTube. As we know, there is no limit to how much we can use The Internet to offend God and each other.

Meanwhile, in the top, right corner of everything I see on my Facebook feed there's a little icon I can click to select the option "I don't want to see this." I've decided to express my objections more often and see if it has any effect.

One more thing: I'm curious to know if Helen Waite is a real name. A woman in our ward when I was a child had that name, but she went by her middle name instead because if anyone referred someone to her, they would tell the person to "Go to [fill in the blank with her name]" and it sounded offensive. So maybe this Facebook person called "Helen Waite" is using a pseudonym. Is there any kind of Facebook policy that says you have to use your real name?

stillmanwendyjune1 wrote:Is there a copyright law? Thanks.

Yes, but YouTube requires that the person or organization who holds the copyright be the one making the request to remove the material in question. Your best recourse would be to forward the URL to the Church's Intellectual Property Office at:

Phone: 801-240-3959 or 1-800-453-3860, ext. 2-3959

Fax: 801-240-1187

E-mail: cor-intellectualproperty@ldschurch.org

stillmanwendyjune1 wrote:What can be done . . .
Is there a copyright law?

Copyright is tricky. The copyright holder may request removal, and the person or hosting site may or may not comply.

A copyright holder may sue for the monetary damages they are claiming, i.e., the financial loss the holder suffered because someone copied and distributed the material.

And the most difficult part is that if a copyright holder wishes to sue for monetary damages, the holder must first have registered the copyright, which includes sending the material to the Library of Congress, where it becomes publicly available for all to see.

Considering the current subject of discussion, it is easy to see why any of these approaches are problematic.

While there is no question the material is copyrighted, the best hope in this case is that the person or hosting site will do the morally correct thing and remove the material. In this case, the hosting site may cooperate, but since the material is there in the first place, it seems unlikely to me that the person who placed it there intends to remove it.

lajackson wrote:Copyright is tricky.

It can be, but if it's a copy of another video, it's gets fairly simple. The only question left is 'fair use': if it's just clips for commentary, it can be fair use. If it's a copy of the whole thing - clear violation.

Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to reply to my question.

All I'd say is not to spend another minute worrying about it. The Ceremony is out there and has been for years. It was read into the congressional record in the early 1900's. Be thankful that more and more have access to it across the globe as we realize the vision of many of our Prophets to have Temples dotting the globe.