Is it legal for me to post videos of me playing Battlefield 1942 or another game I didn't make?

I can't think of any reason why it shouldn't. There are alot of them on Youtube and alot of people who make money posting their videos and aren't paying any revenues to the game company.


But the real question you should ask yourself is:

Does youtube or any other website really need more people posting their replay videos? ;)

Where? Here? It's not really relevant to the focus of this site, so why would you? The thread would likely be closed as off-topic.

Moving to the Law forum.

Quote: Original post by ms75214
Is it legal for me to post videos of me playing Battlefield 1942 or another game I didn't make?

Maybe. It mostly depends on the context. It also depends on your location on the globe.

Many nations have incorporated 'fair use' or 'fair dealing' exceptions to copyright control, but I don't believe this is a requirement of current treaties.

In most cases it is up to a judge --- not you --- to determine if your use is valid. In the case of a lawsuit you would still end up before a judge or magistrate, and you would explain why you believe your usage is legal. You would still be accountable for a portion of the legal fees, unless your nation allows you to recover them in some way.

If you are writing a review of the game and are using it for that purpose in a limited way, then you're likely okay. Critical review is a (nearly?) universal exception. Non-commercial research and non-commercial private use are also generally excepted from copyright protection, but again, it varies on location and other circumstances.