Share
Have you heard about reverse video search and needed clarification about what it entails or how to use it? As a content creator, it’s a topic you should learn about to avoid unscrupulous marketers and website owners from stealing your video content.
You can discover where any of your videos exist on the internet using reverse video search. Most importantly, you can find out if anyone decided to use your video content without permission.
In this article, we will discuss the details of reverse video search, help you understand its importance, and teach you how to perform this type of search.
Table of Contents
What Is Reverse Video Search?
Reverse video search is searching for a video by using an image or portion of the video as your query. It is a search you can perform on various search engines, including Google and Bing.
When you use a search engine, you typically type in a word or phrase until you find a page or video that fulfills your purpose for the search. A reverse search lets you use a search engine to locate each web page with a specific image or video.
During a reverse video search, search engines, like Google, use the colors and pixels in your videos to locate identical copies that exist online. It’s a way to determine if anyone plagiarized your work by using your video content without permission.
Who Should Use Reverse Video Search?
Reverse video search is beneficial for anyone who creates or uses video content. However, there are other purposes for it. Here are the three most common reasons for using a reverse video search.
1. Content creators and marketers: If you create videos, reverse video search can help track down stolen content.
2. Recruiters: Recruiters might use reverse video search to screen candidates by searching for videos of them that exist online.
3. Police: Police can use reverse video searches to locate videos that may contain evidence of a crime.
Why Is Reverse Video Search Important?
There are many reasons reverse video search is important. Here are some of its key benefits.
Discover Stolen Content
If you create videos, it’s essential to have a way to track down any content that’s been stolen. Reverse video search can help you do that by allowing you to find each instance of your video online. Once you’ve located the stolen content, you can take appropriate measures to have it removed or ensure that your work is properly attributed.
Attribute Video Content Properly
Using reverse video search, you can attribute video content correctly. Use the method to locate the original creator of any video you want to share on your website or social media. It will ensure that the video creator gets the credit they deserve.
Locate Additional Work
You can also use reverse video search to locate additional work by a particular artist or creator. For example, if you come across a video you like but can’t find any other information about the artist, you can use reverse video search to locate additional videos by that person.
Although cumbersome, it's possible to take a screenshot of your video content, run it through a reverse image search, and locate anyone stealing your work.
Why Do People Plagiarize Video Content?
There are many reasons people plagiarize video content, including the following.
To save time: Making a video from scratch is time-consuming. It’s often quicker and easier to steal someone else’s work.
To avoid cost: Creating high-quality videos can turn into an expensive endeavor. As a result, some people may plagiarize to avoid incurring that cost.
To generate traffic: Plagiarizing a popular video is one way to generate quick traffic to a website or blog.
Is There a Reverse Video Search Engine?
There aren’t any reverse video search engines yet. However, in the future, this might become a possibility as technology advances.
When it becomes possible, a reverse search engine for videos will index all the videos on the internet, making it easy to find what you’re looking for. Unfortunately, to this point, Google, Bing, and other search engines have yet to find a solution for indexing every frame inside each video.
To perform this type of indexing, the search engines will need a massive amount of storage. Each day, people upload millions of videos to the internet. To build a reverse video search engine, the search engines will need to find a way to index each frame, run a simultaneous comparison against every website, and deliver an instant result for the search.
For now, you can use reverse image search on Google or Bing to find out where a video exists online and who created it. Although cumbersome, it’s possible to take a screenshot of your video content, run it through a reverse image search, and locate anyone stealing your work.
What To Do if You Find Someone Using Your Video Content
You have a few options if you find someone using your video content without your permission.
- Do nothing
- Request that they take the video down
- Ask them to attribute the video content to you
- File a DMCA Takedown Notice
The best course of action depends on the severity of the situation. For example, you may not want to take action if an offender uses your video in a non-commercial way and isn’t causing you any harm.
If you want the offender to take down your video, your best bet is to contact the website owner or webmaster and request that they remove it. You can try filing a DMCA takedown notice if you can’t find contact information.
If you’re more concerned about getting credit for your work, you can ask the person using your video to attribute it to you. It is a good option if you don’t mind the video’s use long as you’re given credit.
Main Takeaways
A reverse video search is an essential tool for anyone who creates videos. It can help you find stolen content, attribute video content appropriately, and locate additional work by artists or creators.
You invest a lot of time working on your videos. So ensure you protect your work so that others don’t steal your intellectual property.
Don't forget to share this article!
PPC Marketing Expert?
Get things done with Adcore Marketing Cloud.
5 essential PPC tools under one roof.
Back to top