Music and Content Rights Policy
Which audio a sponsored post may use, and the clean file universities can reuse.
Draft, awaiting attorney review
This document is a working draft published so you can see how Campus Voices works. It has not been reviewed by our attorney yet and may change. Items in [brackets] are still to be filled in.
Summary. Every approved post exists in two versions. Version A is what the Creator posts on TikTok or Instagram; it may use only original audio, the platform's commercial music, or music the Creator has a written license for. Version B is the clean file: the same cut with no third-party music, no platform watermark and at full resolution. Version B is the only file the University may reuse anywhere other than the Creator's original post, and the University adds its own licensed music if it wants music. Nothing else in the video may borrow someone else's work (clips, artwork, logos, other creators' content). Campus Voices handles copyright complaints, and Creators must tell us within 24 hours if they get one.
Version: 0.1 (draft). Owner: TTplus10 Inc., doing business as Campus Voices and Campus Voices Media ("Campus Voices", "we"). Applies to every Creator, reviewer, verifier and University in a Program or the Independent Test.
1. Why this policy exists
1.1 Music on social platforms is licensed for personal use. When a post promotes a brand or institution it becomes a commercial use, and the platforms' ordinary music libraries do not cover it. TikTok's Music Terms say music outside the Commercial Sounds may not be used to "sponsor, promote, co-brand or advertise" without separate permission. Meta's Music Guidelines say commercial or non-personal use of music is prohibited without appropriate licenses.
1.2 Platform music licenses, including TikTok's Commercial Music Library, cover use on that platform only. TikTok's Commercial Music Library terms say commercial uses outside TikTok are not permitted and no rights are granted for them. So a University cannot download a Creator's TikTok and post it on Instagram, its website or a screen on campus. That is why Version B exists.
1.3 This policy is written so the software can enforce it. The review rules map to the MUSIC check (and to UNIVERSITY_RULES for campus marks); attestations map to SubmissionVersion.musicCleared; per-Brief rules live in Brief.musicRules.
2. Definitions
2.1 Version A (Platform Post): the video as posted by the Creator on the platform, including any platform audio, stickers or effects.
2.2 Version B (Clean File): the delivery file described in section 4.
2.3 Original Audio: sound the Creator recorded or made: their voice, natural sound recorded on location, sound effects they made, and music the Creator wrote and performed themselves and whose recording they own. It does not include another user's "original sound" on TikTok or Instagram, and it does not include recognizable copyrighted music playing in the background (section 3.4).
2.4 Commercial Platform Music: on TikTok, sounds from the Commercial Music Library ("Commercial Sounds"); on Instagram, only tracks from Meta Sound Collection or audio Instagram marks as available for commercial or branded use [verify how Instagram labels this in the app for creator accounts]. Never the general popular-music library, even if the app lets the Creator pick it (founder resolution 12).
2.5 Licensed Track: a royalty-free or stock track for which the Creator holds a written license that covers commercial social media posts made for a sponsor on the platform used. The Creator must upload the license or license receipt.
3. Version A: what may be in the posted video
3.1 Allowed audio sources for sponsored posts
| Source | TikTok | Condition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original Audio | Yes | Yes | Creator's own. |
| Commercial Platform Music | Yes: Commercial Music Library only | Yes: only Meta Sound Collection or audio Instagram marks as available for commercial or branded use [verify]; never the general popular-music library | Chosen inside the app at posting, so the platform license applies. Name the track in the submission. |
| Licensed Track | Yes | Yes | License uploaded with the draft, and the license covers commercial social use for a sponsor. |
| General library music (trending songs, popular tracks, anything outside the commercial library) | No | No | Not allowed on any sponsored post, even if the app offers it. |
| Another user's "original sound", remix, mashup or sped-up version | No | No | TikTok's Music Terms say commercial users should not use another user's Original Sound. |
| AI-generated music | Only if the tool's terms grant the Creator commercial rights and the Creator uploads those terms | Same | [counsel: see Notes item 6] |
3.2 Adding music at posting
3.2.1 The Creator adds Commercial Platform Music inside the app at posting, on top of the clean cut. The draft uploaded for review should be a preview with the intended audio, or the clean cut plus the track name (see section 7.2).
3.2.2 If the platform mutes, swaps or restricts the audio after posting (for example because of a rights claim), the Creator tells Campus Voices within 24 hours. Campus Voices decides whether the post still meets the Brief; a muted post with intact disclosure and message usually still does.
3.3 The Brief can be stricter
Brief.musicRules may narrow the list, for example "voice and natural sound only" or "no music". The Brief can never widen it.
3.4 Background music and incidental sound
3.4.1 Recognizable copyrighted music audible in the background (a song at a party, in a store, at a game) counts as music. It is not Original Audio.
3.4.2 Rule: no recognizable copyrighted song may be audible for more than 2 consecutive seconds, and never as a featured part of the video. Creators should film away from music or remove the sound in editing.
3.4.3 Band, a cappella or student performances of songs written by others are cover performances. They need a sync license and are not allowed as featured audio in V1 [counsel: see Notes item 5].
4. Version B: the clean file
4.1 When and how
4.1.1 The Creator delivers Version B for every approved post, uploaded in the app, at the same time as final approval (before posting). A post is not approved without Version B.
4.1.2 Version B is the only file the University may reuse off the Creator's original post, including on University Owned Channels on the same platform. The University adds its own licensed music if it wants music.
4.2 Delivery specifications
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Cut | Same edit as Version A: same shots, order, length (within 0.5 seconds), same spoken words, same on-screen text that the Creator burned in off-platform. |
| Audio | Original Audio only: voice, natural sound, and the Creator's own original music. No Commercial Platform Music, no Licensed Track unless its license expressly allows transfer to the University for the Organic License uses (rare; leave it out by default). |
| Container and codec | MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio) preferred; MOV (H.264 or HEVC) accepted. Matches the app's accepted types (video/mp4, video/quicktime); WebM is accepted by the upload form but should not be used for Version B. |
| Resolution | The highest resolution captured, at least 1080 x 1920 (vertical 9:16). Never upscaled from a lower resolution. |
| Frame rate | Native capture rate (typically 30 or 60 fps), constant frame rate. |
| Audio format | AAC, 48 kHz, stereo, at least 192 kbps. Dialogue clearly audible, no clipping. |
| Watermarks | None. No TikTok or Instagram watermark, no editing app watermark or end card (for example free-tier editor watermarks), no platform stickers, no platform-generated captions. |
| Platform text and effects | Not included, because they cannot be exported cleanly. Text the Creator needs in the clean file must be burned in with an off-platform editor. |
| Size | Under 500 MB (the app's current upload limit). |
| File name | [brief-id]_[creator-handle]_B.mp4 [optional; software can rename]. |
4.3 How Creators make it (practical workflow for the one-page guide)
- (a) Edit the video in an off-platform editor, with no third-party music. Export at full quality. This export is Version B.
- (b) Upload that file to TikTok or Instagram, add Commercial Platform Music, stickers and platform text in the app. The result is Version A.
- (c) Never "save" or "download" a posted TikTok or Reel to use as Version B; downloads carry a watermark and the platform music.
4.4 Disclosure text inside Version B
On-screen disclosure text burned in off-platform may stay in Version B. The University may trim it out only if its own caption carries the credit required by 08-disclosure-policy.md section 4.4.
5. Other intellectual property rules
5.1 Not allowed in any Program video:
- (a) Clips from movies, TV, streaming shows, sports broadcasts, news broadcasts, video games (gameplay footage), music videos or other creators' videos, including "green screen" use of someone else's post, duets and stitches of non-Program creators.
- (b) Photos, artwork, murals, posters, memes or graphics made by others as a focus of the shot. Public art appearing incidentally in a wide campus shot is fine.
- (c) Third-party logos or products as a focus (a brand of drink held to camera, a store sign as the subject). Incidental appearance is fine. A local business as the focus needs the owner's permission (see the locations rules in the Creator guidelines).
- (d) Fonts, templates or effects whose license does not allow commercial use.
- (e) Readings of copyrighted text (song lyrics, poems, book passages) beyond a short phrase.
- (f) Reposting or re-editing another Program Creator's video without Campus Voices' written approval.
5.2 Campus marks in a University Program. The MSA grants Campus Voices and Program Creators a limited, non-exclusive, revocable license to show University names, marks, logos, mascots and buildings in Program content, following the University's brand guidelines. No merchandise, and no implying University endorsement of anything outside the Program. Reviewers check this under UNIVERSITY_RULES.
5.3 Campus marks in the Independent Test. There is no license from IU. Creators may show campus as it naturally appears and name the school factually. Creators must not use IU logos, seals, wordmarks or mascot art as graphics, overlays, thumbnails or stickers, and must not claim IU affiliation. Reviewers check this under UNIVERSITY_RULES (for the Independent Test the "university rules" are these restrictions).
5.4 University-provided material. Anything the University gives us (logos, photos, b-roll, music, facts) is the University's responsibility; the University indemnifies for it under the MSA.
6. Creator attestation wording
6.1 Current attestation (musicCleared). Replace the current checkbox text with:
"The audio in this video is only (1) my own voice, natural sound or original music I made, (2) music I will add from [TikTok's Commercial Music Library / Instagram's Meta Sound Collection or audio Instagram marks as available for commercial or branded use] when I post, or (3) a licensed track whose license I have uploaded. There is no trending or general library song, no other creator's sound, and no recognizable song playing in the background. My clean file has no third-party music."
6.2 New attestation (other IP).
"This video does not use clips, photos, artwork, logos or other creators' content that I do not have the right to use. I understand Campus Voices and the University rely on this."
6.3 New attestation at clean-file upload.
"This clean file is the same edit as my post, with no third-party music, no watermarks and at the highest resolution I have."
6.4 Warranty and indemnity (reference only, the operative text is in 02-creator-agreement.md Section 16 Music and intellectual property and Section 22 Warranties and limited indemnity): the Creator warrants these statements are true; the Creator's indemnity is capped at the fees received for that post, except for intentional misconduct.
7. Reviewer checklist: MUSIC
7.1 A reviewer marks MUSIC PASS only when all of M1 to M7 pass. MUSIC cannot be NA (a video with no music still passes by meeting M1 to M7). A FAIL note names the failed criterion.
| ID | Criterion | Pass when |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | Attestation | musicCleared is true on the submitted version. |
| M2 | Source declared | The Creator stated the audio source: ORIGINAL, PLATFORM_COMMERCIAL (with track name), or LICENSED (with license file). |
| M3 | Source allowed | The source is allowed for the platform in section 3.1 and by Brief.musicRules. |
| M4 | No recognizable third-party music | The reviewer hears no recognizable song other than the declared track, and no background song audible for more than 2 consecutive seconds. |
| M5 | Licensed track evidence | If LICENSED: the license file is uploaded and names the track and covers commercial social use for a sponsor. Otherwise satisfied. |
| M6 | Clean file present | Version B is uploaded, matches the cut (same length within 0.5 s, same shots), has no third-party music, no watermark, and is at least 1080 x 1920. |
| M7 | Other IP | Nothing from section 5.1. (If campus marks are the issue, fail UNIVERSITY_RULES instead.) |
7.2 Tip for reviewers. If the draft is the clean cut with the track only named, check the track name against the platform's commercial library by searching it in the app's commercial sounds, or ask the Creator for a screenshot of the sound page showing it is a commercial sound.
7.3 Verification. At verification, APPROVED_CONTENT covers the audio: if the live post uses a different sound from the one approved, APPROVED_CONTENT fails. The fix is to repost with the approved audio (TikTok does not allow swapping sound on a posted video [verify]).
8. Copyright complaints and takedowns
8.1 Who is who
8.1.1 The platforms (TikTok, Meta) are the service providers under 17 U.S.C. 512 for posts on the Creator's account. Rights holders send DMCA notices to the platform, and the platform removes or mutes the content and tells the Creator.
8.1.2 Campus Voices is also a host: the app stores Creators' uploaded videos and may publish Approved Content on its own site. Recommendation: designate a DMCA agent with the U.S. Copyright Office (online directory; a small fee and renewal every 3 years [verify current fee and renewal period]), publish the agent's contact on the website, and adopt a repeat-infringer policy (termination "in appropriate circumstances") so Campus Voices can rely on the 512(c) safe harbor for what it hosts.
8.2 Timelines and responsibilities
| Step | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Creator receives a platform copyright notice, mute, strike or claim on a Program post | Creator tells Campus Voices (in app or hello@campusvoicesmedia.com) with a screenshot | Within 24 hours of seeing it |
| 2. Campus Voices receives a notice directly (DMCA notice to our agent, letter or email to us, or complaint forwarded by the University) | Staff log it in the audit log, acknowledge the sender | Acknowledge within 2 business days |
| 3. Triage: is the notice about a Program post or a file we host, and does it look valid (the 512(c)(3) elements: signature, identification of the work, location of the material, contact details, good-faith statement, accuracy statement under penalty of perjury) | Campus Voices (founder or designated staff) | Within 2 business days of receipt |
| 4a. Files Campus Voices hosts (our site, app library shared with the University) | Campus Voices removes or disables access | Expeditiously, target 1 business day after a valid notice |
| 4b. Post on the Creator's account | Campus Voices asks the Creator to remove it under the removal policy (standard 24 hours; urgent 4 hours if the claim involves legal risk that is spreading) | As per 12-removal-live-window-and-conduct-policy.md |
| 4c. Reuse by the University | Campus Voices tells the University in writing which asset is affected and asks it to stop new uses and take it down from its channels | Same business day as the decision |
| 5. Counter-notice: if the Creator believes the claim is wrong (for example it is their own music), Campus Voices explains the platform's counter-notice process. The Creator decides whether to file; it is sent in the Creator's name, under penalty of perjury. For files we host, we follow 512(g): notify the claimant and restore in not less than 10 and not more than 14 business days unless the claimant files suit | Creator (platform posts); Campus Voices (our hosted files) | Creator's choice; 512(g) timing for ours |
| 6. Record: outcome, dates and who acted | Staff in audit log | At each step |
7. Rights record: if the claim is upheld, mark the asset's ContentRight as REVOKED for the affected use, and notify the University |
Campus Voices | Within 2 business days of the outcome |
8.3 Money. If the Creator broke this policy (for example used a trending song), the Creator is not paid if not yet verified; if already verified, the fee stands (no clawback), and the case goes to the conduct ladder. The Creator's indemnity is capped at the fees received for that post, except intentional misconduct. If the claim comes from material the University provided, the University's indemnity applies. If the claim is about something Campus Voices approved that did not break this policy (for example a valid Commercial Music Library track wrongly flagged), there is no penalty to the Creator and Campus Voices supports the dispute.
8.4 Campus Voices never files a counter-notice for the Creator without the Creator's written authorization, and never tells a Creator to ignore a notice.
8.5 Repeat infringers. A Creator with 2 upheld copyright complaints on Program content in 12 months is removed from the roster, as the repeat-infringer policy for our hosted service [counsel: confirm threshold].
9. What the University may and may not do with audio
9.1 May:
- (a) Repost Version B on University Owned Channels under the Organic License.
- (b) Add music the University has licensed for that use and channel: for example TikTok Commercial Music Library tracks when posting to the University's own TikTok, Meta Sound Collection on its Instagram, or tracks from a paid library whose license covers the University's channels.
- (c) Use the Creator's voice and natural sound as delivered.
- (d) Add subtitles and captions of the Creator's words.
9.2 May not:
- (a) Download or screen-record the Creator's Version A from TikTok or Instagram and reuse it anywhere, including cross-posting a TikTok to Instagram, a website or signage.
- (b) Reuse Commercial Platform Music from Version A outside the platform where the Creator posted.
- (c) Add music in a way that changes the meaning of what the Creator said, or drown out the Creator's disclosure or words.
- (d) Use Version B, or its audio, in paid media without a signed Paid Media Rights Addendum. For paid media, music must be cleared for ads specifically; platform organic libraries may not cover ads [verify for each platform at the time of the Addendum].
- (e) Synthesize, clone or alter the Creator's voice.
- (f) Use Version B or its audio for AI model training.