How to make Kamishibai videos while respecting copyright

More and more kamishibaiya bagpipes dare to record their Kamishibai sessions on video and share them through Instagram or YouTube. It's a fantastic idea, especially in those cases where physical attendance is not possible. However, a question always arises... what about copyright?

The big difference between a picture album and a Kamishibai story is that the latter has an unmistakable social purpose. It is designed to be told to an audience, to be heard in every corner of the planet and by all kinds of audiences.

These audiences were originally children in a village square, or students in a classroom. But with the rise of digital video in social networks added to various situations of social distancing, more and more the gaito kamishibaiya audience is virtual.

And that's where the first big dilemma comes in... what happens to copyrights if I record myself telling a Kamishibai story and broadcast it through YouTube or Instagram?

Communication rights of our Kamishibai stories

Every time you tell or show to an audience an artistic creation by one or more authors (even if it is your very own work), communication rights are involved. So that we don't get lost, they have nothing to do with making a photocopy of a Kamishibai story card, downloading a Kamishibai story in pdf or adapting a picture album like Elmer, the Multicoloured Elephant, to Kamishibai format.

Public communication rights are always present in a Kamishibai session, whether it is on-site or virtual. But this right raises more doubts when we embark on being virtual gaitos kamishibaiyas. Let's try to solve some doubts that often arise.

Can I record myself telling a Kamishibai story with music, upload it to YouTube or Instagram and share it with my students?

The answer is... yes and no. But instead of getting confused by legal terminology, here's how to sum it up: you can, but only when there's no profit involved. If this is the case, you are free to use our Kamishibai stories and their illustrations, music, cut-out puppets, miniature cards, etc. In return, it will be great if you mention the Kamishibai Universe at some point in the video, in the way that suits you best. That's all we ask of you ;)

We run a language academy and intend to offer videos of our Kamishibai storytelling to our students for them to practice at home.

Fantastic idea! One would think that there is a profit motive, but not with the videos themselves, which is why one would consider it a learning support. So, go ahead! Remember to mention us in some way so that your videos help promote the Kamishibai Universe.

Can I narrate a Kamishibai story with different music than the one created for the story?

We can't guarantee communication rights for works that have not been published by us, even if there is no profit motive. In this case, if the music you've chosen is copyrighted, you must contact the record company/publisher of the music and ask their permission.

Platforms like YouTube have bots that analyze the audio of your videos for copyright infringement. If your video becomes popular, they will probably notify the publisher, who will decide if your video can have that music or not. If you want some advice, if you are not going to use our music, better choose a royalty-free music ;) Nevertheless, we suggest you to take a look at the 5 common mistakes made when using music with your Kamishibai so that your use of the music is not only legal, but also dramatically appropriate.

Can I use the illustrations from your Kamishibai stories to tell a different story?

Once again... yes and no. Yes you can as long as there is no profit motive and as long as you do not generate any offensive or discriminatory content with them. Our stories have well-defined learning objectives, we'd love yours to have them too. Ah! And don't forget to mention us in the video in whatever way suits you best.

Can I use your images, music or texts for something other than a Kamishibai story?

Again, if there is no profit motive, yes, but with a big "but". You must explicitly mention its author its author every time you show an image made by them, use a piece of their music or quote a text from them. We think it's very reasonable and you can be sure that the author will be very grateful to you.

And what if I'm for profit?

In that case it will depend a lot on whether your Kamishibai sessions will be face-to-face or virtual. Please get in touch with us and tell us more about your project. We'll be very happy to help you!

We're sure we left many questions unsolved - go ahead and ask them in the comments below! We'd love this post to be in constant evolution.

And if you think we've given you something of value, don't forget to click on the "I like it" button and share it with any other gaitos that might be interested.

See you in our next article!