TED Talks Usage Policy
20140501_rev01 · COMPARED WITH 20140402_rev01 · ARCHIVE SNAPSHOT, DATE APPROXIMATE
Full text changes — 20140402_rev01 to 20140501_rev01
| 1 | About › [Our Organization](https://ted.com/about/our-organization) › [Our policies + terms](https://ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms) | |
| 1 | About › [Our Organization](https://ted.com/about/our-organization) › [Our policies + terms](https://ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms) › | |
| 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | At TED, our goal is to spread ideas. We encourage the TED community, non-profit organizations, bloggers, news media and the like to share TED Talks through social media and to embed individual talks in contextually relevant ways on non-commercial websites using embed code on TED.com Usage of TED Talks should follow the terms of our specific [Creative Commons license Attribution - NonCommercial - NonDerivative (BY-NC-ND)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) and the guidelines that are linked here, which may be updated from time to time. If you are a for-profit organization seeking to license TED Talks or if you'd like to create a TED-branded video offering, television series, original editorial program or other service offering, please read about how to partner with us here. If you need any further clarifications after reviewing the frequently asked questions below, please email us at [deron@ted.com](mailto:deron@ted.com). | |
| 3 | At TED, our goal is to spread ideas. We encourage the TED community, non-profit organizations, bloggers, news media and the like to share TED Talks through social media and to embed individual talks in contextually relevant ways on non-commercial websites using embed code on TED.com. Non-commercial usage of TED Talks should follow the terms of our specific [Creative Commons license Attribution - NonCommercial - NonDerivative (BY-NC-ND)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) and the guidelines that are listed below, which may be updated from time to time. | |
| 4 | 4 | |
| 5 | If you are a for-profit company seeking to license TED Talks or if you'd like to create a TED-branded video offering, television series, original editorial program or other service offering, or if you'd like to use TED Talks in a corporate context, please read about how to [partner with us](https://ted.com/about/partner-with-us/bringing-ted-to-your-audience). | |
| 6 | ||
| 7 | Please submit your licensing request using our [TED Talks media licensing request form](https://docs.google.com/a/ted.com/forms/d/1QpONa1CaiM-JvdkfdhZXZpkcvrdCx8I68HsZD2ocJiA/viewform). | |
| 8 | ||
| 5 | 9 | #### Are TED Talks copyrighted? |
| 6 | 10 | |
| 7 | 11 | Yes, they are. Creative Commons licensing doesn't replace copyright -- which remains undivided with TED Conferences LLC. |
| 8 | 12 | |
| 9 | 13 | #### What does the TED Creative Commons license allow? |
| 10 | 14 | |
| 11 | 15 | We make TED Talks available under the [Creative Commons license "Attribution - NonCommercial - NonDerivative"](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) in order to allow non-commercial entities (like bloggers, educators and groups of friends) to use them freely and easily. Important restrictions apply, though, particularly for corporations. TED's Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license allows you to display TED Talks under the following conditions: |
| 12 | 16 | |
| 13 | 17 | - **Attribution (BY):** You must explicitly reference TED as the original source of the materials, and TED's logos within the videos and visuals as well as those of the TED Talks sponsors remain untouched and unedited. |
| 14 | - **NonCommercial (NC):** You can't use TED Talks (or any parts of them) for commercial purposes. If you are a company wishing to create a TED branded content offering, you will require a Distribution Partner License Agreement with TED. Please contact Deron Triff ([deron@ted.com](mailto:deron@ted.com)), Director of Global Distribution and Licensing, to explore the opportunity. | |
| 18 | - **NonCommercial (NC):** You can't use TED Talks (or any parts of them) for commercial purposes. If you are a company wishing to create a TED branded content offering, you will require a Distribution Partner License Agreement with TED. Please fill out our [media licensing request form](https://docs.google.com/a/ted.com/forms/d/1QpONa1CaiM-JvdkfdhZXZpkcvrdCx8I68HsZD2ocJiA/viewform) to explore the opportunity. | |
| 15 | 19 | - **NonDerivative (ND):** You cannot alter the videos in any way. This means you cannot edit, remix, cut, shorten, add overlays to them, or, well, alter them in any way. |
| 16 | 20 | - These conditions can be modified only by explicit permission of TED Conferences LLC. The complete text of the license can be seen on the [Creative Commons (CC) license](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). |
| 17 | 21 | |
| 18 | 22 | #### Does the same go for TED-Ed? |
| 19 | 23 | |
| 20 | TED-Ed videos on [YouTube.com/TEDEducation](http://www.youtube.com/TEDEducation) are made available under [YouTube's standard policy](http://www.youtube.com/yt/copyright/), not Creative Commons. However, if you wish to license TED-Ed videos, please contact Alex Hofmann ([alexhofmann@ted.com](mailto:alexhofmann@ted.com)), Associate Director of Global Distribution and Licensing. | |
| 24 | TED-Ed videos on [YouTube.com/TEDEducation](http://www.youtube.com/TEDEducation) are made available under [YouTube's standard policy](http://www.youtube.com/yt/copyright/), not Creative Commons. However, if you wish to license TED-Ed videos, please fill out our [media licensing request form](https://docs.google.com/a/ted.com/forms/d/1QpONa1CaiM-JvdkfdhZXZpkcvrdCx8I68HsZD2ocJiA/viewform). | |
| 21 | 25 | |
| 22 | 26 | #### Can I repost or republish TED Talks on my site or blog? |
| 23 | 27 | |
| 24 | 28 | Yes, as long as you meet the Creative Commons guidelines above and follow the guidelines below: |
| 25 | 29 | |
| 26 | 30 | - **Type of site/company:** Bloggers, news/information websites and nonprofits (by which we mean: registered 501(c)3 organizations in the United States, and the equivalent in all other countries), may make TED Talks available under a Creative Commons (CC) license, provided that they follow the rest of the guidelines on this page. |
| 27 | 31 | - **Video player:** You must use the TED embeddable player. This allows us to further our overall mission by tracking video usage. Scraping video from TED.com is not permitted. |
| 28 | 32 | - **Attribution:** You must add a visible link back to TED.com |
| 29 | 33 | - **Running talks in their entirety:** You may not edit TED Talks, or alter them in any way. This is essential for preserving the integrity of the speaker's ideas. |
| 30 | 34 | |
| 31 | #### Can I create a TED Talks service on my company's video platform? | |
| 35 | #### Can I use TED Talks on an internet video platform? | |
| 32 | 36 | |
| 33 | If one or more of the categories listed below characterizes your company's business, you will require a Distribution Partner License Agreement with TED. Please learn more about how to [partner with us](https://ted.com/about/partner-with-us) and contact Deron Triff ([deron@ted.com](mailto:deron@ted.com)), Director of Global Distribution and Licensing. | |
| 37 | If one or more of the categories listed below characterizes your company's business, you will require a Distribution Partner License Agreement with TED. Please learn more about how to [partner with us](https://ted.com/about/partner-with-us/bringing-ted-to-your-audience) and fill out our [media licensing request form](https://docs.google.com/a/ted.com/forms/d/1QpONa1CaiM-JvdkfdhZXZpkcvrdCx8I68HsZD2ocJiA/viewform). | |
| 34 | 38 | |
| 35 | 39 | - **Internet Video Service** |
| 36 | 40 | - **Cable, Satellite or Telecommunication Operator** |
| 37 | 41 | - **Television or Radio Broadcaster** |
| 38 | 42 | - **Audio Service** |
| 39 | 43 | - **Specialized Cable/Satellite Channel** |
| 63 | 67 | No. Our Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license clearly states that "derivative works" of any kind (edits, cuts, re-mixes, mashups, etc.) are not allowed without explicit permission from TED and the speaker. |
| 64 | 68 | |
| 65 | 69 | #### Can I translate TED Talks? |
| 66 | 70 | |
| 67 | 71 | Yes -- join our [Open Translation Project](https://ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/open-translation-project)! You may even find that the talk you're looking for is already translated into your language. If you have a Distribution Partner License Agreement with TED to exhibit TED Talks on your platform, your agreement will specify the use of subtitles provided by TED. |
| 68 | 72 | |
| 69 | #### May I use TED Talks on a television channel? | |
| 73 | #### Can I use TED Talks on a television channel? | |
| 70 | 74 | |
| 71 | If you are a public or private broadcaster or cable network and wish to create a television series based on TED Talks, you would require a Distribution Partner License Agreement. Please contact Deron Triff ([deron@ted.com](mailto:deron@ted.com)), Director of Global Distribution and Licensing, to explore the opportunity. | |
| 75 | If you are a public or private broadcaster or cable network and wish to create a television series based on TED Talks, you would require a Distribution Partner License Agreement. Please fill out our [media licensing request form](https://docs.google.com/a/ted.com/forms/d/1QpONa1CaiM-JvdkfdhZXZpkcvrdCx8I68HsZD2ocJiA/viewform), or contact Deron Triff ([deron@ted.com](mailto:deron@ted.com)), Director of Global Distribution and Licensing, to explore the opportunity. | |
| 72 | 76 | |
| 73 | 77 | #### Can I use TED Talks in my documentary? |
| 74 | 78 | |
| 75 | Documentary filmmakers can use excerpts of TED Talks within their films, provided the speaker agrees to the use as well. TED must secure permission from each individual speaker for any use not produced by TED. In order for us to approach the speaker with the request, you must provide TED with a brief from the filmmaker on the intended use of the footage, the film's perspective/point of view, and distribution plan, as well as brief bios on the creative team (producer, director, etc.). | |
| 79 | Requests for use within a documentary should be submitted via our [media licensing request form](https://docs.google.com/a/ted.com/forms/d/1QpONa1CaiM-JvdkfdhZXZpkcvrdCx8I68HsZD2ocJiA/viewform). | |
| 76 | 80 | |
| 77 | If the speaker agrees, we will provide the filmmaker with footage in one of our standard formats: DVCPro NTSC, DVCPro PAL, DVCPro NTSC Anamorphic or DVCPro HD 1080i60. We do not deliver footage on tape. No licensing fees are charged, but the footage must be accompanied by an on-screen credit (generally a lower-third) referencing TED.com. We prefer the language "Full talk available at TED.com". | |
| 78 | ||
| 79 | Requests for use within a documentary should go to our PR team at Group SJR, who can be reached at [ted@groupsjr.com](mailto:ted@groupsjr.com). | |
| 80 | ||
| 81 | 81 | #### How do I request an image from TED? |
| 82 | 82 | |
| 83 | Image requests should be directed to our PR team at Group SJR at [ted@groupsjr.com](mailto:ted@groupsjr.com) with the email subject IMAGE REQUEST. The request should be accompanied by the following information: | |
| 83 | Image requests should be submitted via our [TED Talks media licensing request form](https://docs.google.com/a/ted.com/forms/d/1QpONa1CaiM-JvdkfdhZXZpkcvrdCx8I68HsZD2ocJiA/viewform). The request should be accompanied by the following information: | |
| 84 | 84 | |
| 85 | 85 | - Name of publication/outlet |
| 86 | 86 | - Name of requested image |
| 87 | 87 | - Publication date |
| 88 | 88 | - Preferred file format |
| 89 | 89 | - Deadline for receipt of image |
| 90 | 90 | |
| 91 | 91 | A photo credit will be provided when the image is delivered. This credit must run in full. |
| 92 | ||
| 93 | #### I'm a member of the media. How do I request an interview with a TED staffer or speaker? | |
| 94 | ||
| 95 | Requests for interviews should be directed to our PR team at Group SJR at [ted@groupsjr.com](mailto:ted@groupsjr.com) with the email subject INTERVIEW REQUEST. Your email should include the following information: | |
| 96 | ||
| 97 | - Name of publication/outlet | |
| 98 | - Brief background on your interview request | |
| 99 | - Proposed publication date | |
| 100 | - Your deadline | |
| 101 | ||
| 102 | All other press requests, including requests to attend TED, should include the information outlined above and be directed to our PR team at Group SJR at [ted@groupsjr.com](mailto:ted@groupsjr.com). **Press passes to TED are extremely limited, and press attendance will be considered on a case-by-case basis.** |