ABSTRACT
Footage from home security cameras is a staple of contemporary news and entertainment programming. Doorbell-mounted cameras intended to capture thieves now are regularly also capturing the antics of misbehaving pets, the misadventures of clumsy delivery drivers, and all manner of other videos that become fodder for news programming or social-media sharing. Home security footage isn’t just entertaining; sometimes, it’s the first and best record of fires, explosions, tornadoes and other disasters – particularly with the depletion of traditional mainstream community news media. Now that these videos have new-and-unexpected life, the question inevitably will arise: Who, if anyone, can claim copyright ownership in footage that may turn out to have economic value?
This Article examines the yet-untested legal question of whether a home security video is eligible for copyright at all, what level of protection it might have, and who might be able to claim ownership of it. With a dearth of on-point caselaw, the authors instead draw from analogous legal principles in the context of automated cameras – including the widely publicized ‘monKey selfie’ Naruto case that ended in the conclusion that images taken by an automated camera not triggered by a human photographer are uncopyrightable. The authors also analogize to the growing legal consensus around the copyright eligibility (or ineligibility) of AI-generated artwork, which might be influential when-and-if a doorbell-cam copyright case comes before a court.
The authors conclude that, as the Copyright Act is presently understood, a video recorded by a doorbell-mounted security camera is unlikely to qualify for copyright protection because it lacks the essential quality of human creative decision-making – and even if it did, the protection would be ‘thin’ at best. Even if copyright applied, the article concludes that repurposing a video created for security reasons into news or entertainment programming is likely to qualify as a transformative ‘fair use’ defeating any infringement claim. However, since entire entertainment programs are now being built around doorbell videos – and manufacturers are even marketing the cameras for uses beyond home safety – the authors suggest that greater clarity in the law would help both camera owners and those republishing socially shared images understand their rights.
LoMonte, Frank and Reed, Wesley, Does the Name ‘Naruto’ Ring a Bell? The Doubtful Copyright Status of Home Security Camera Videos (April 1, 2025).
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