Rockstar Games / Take2 Youtube Monetization Policy

[JohnCarmichael]

I've been digging A LOT about this lately... I have a GTAV commentary YT channel and I don't want to start monetizing with adsense and get into trouble for copyrighted material. The official Rockstar Games website states this about posting copyrighted material owned by them:
support.rockstargames.com/hc/en-us/articles/200153756-Policy-on-posting-copyrighted-Rockstar-Games-material
It doesn't really say anything about youtube monetization apart from the "non-commercial use" part where it says:
" "Non-commercial" means that you don't sell site membership, or use the material to promote a product you sell on the site like a shirt or wallpaper. "
Does that mean you CANNOT monetize your GTA videos on YT?
I got in contact with them about this issue and got this response:
"Thank you for contacting us. We do not provide specific permission for videos. Information on the Rockstar Games YouTube policy can be found here: support.rockstargames.com/entries/21427003-Policy-on-posting-copyrighted-Rockstar-Games-material."
There are so many youtubers out there that play GTAV and get millions and millions of views, it must to be possible to monetize these videos... through a network maybe?
Thoughts?

 

[Jonathan]

I emailed them a year ago for permission and they allowed me to providing that I followed their guidelines

 

[Shendijiro]

You can monetize your videos, but they don't have control over the music that doesn't belong to them for example in GTA V you have the radio which have music from others for example they have Fergie ( first song that I remembered) and you can get a copyright for that.

This is from their support, it is the same as 2K.

To make our position on this subject easier to understand, we have put together a list of content that, if posted, would result in a take-down notice:

• Pre-Release Footage: No pre-release leaked footage of any kind: Any posting of in-game footage from leaked copies of the game prior to its official release date will be taken down, regardless of how the game was obtained. This includes "early unboxing" videos.
• Spoilers: Posting video showing the ending of the game, pure cutscenes or any other big reveal in the story. It's ok to show cutscenes as part of a larger play-through (or in a narrated ‘Let’s Play’ type video) but isolated videos of the game's cinematics will be removed. If you are unsure if what you want to post is considered a spoiler, please contact copyright@take2games.com and describe exactly what scene you are wondering about and in what context the scene would appear.
• In-game Entertainment: Things like the TV shows and comedy performances in Grand Theft Auto IV, or the silent movies in Red Dead Redemption. We prefer fans to experience these in the context of the game's world, so any posting of these in isolation will be flagged for removal.

 

[JohnCarmichael]

I emailed them a year ago for permission and they allowed me to providing that I followed their guidelines

Can you PM that permission letter just to see how it looks if its not too much to ask

You can monetize your videos, but they don't have control over the music that doesn't belong to them for example in GTA V you have the radio which have music from others for example they have Fergie ( first song that I remembered) and you can get a copyright for that.

This is from their support, it is the same as 2K.

I already know their terms. Obviously I cant and I dont want to use the in-game music, thats something different. I'm talking about the company's property - the in-game footage, I want to know if its possible to monetize that...

 

[Shendijiro]

Can you PM that permission letter just to see how it looks if its not too much to ask

I already know their terms. Obviously I cant and I dont want to use the in-game music, thats something different. I'm talking about the company's property - the in-game footage, I want to know if its possible to monetize that...

Well if you're doing a type of let's play then yes you can monetize o_o

 

[Riddikore]

I have seen larger channels monetize their GTA V videos but of course they are part of networks. And they also provide commentary like you say you do (the channel link in your signature doesn't work)