Vimeo Acceptable Use Community Guidelines

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Last updated: April 15, 2021

All users of Vimeo Services, as defined in our Terms of Service, must comply with our Acceptable Use Policy, which places restrictions on how you may use such Services. In these Guidelines, we explain how we interpret those restrictions (Sections 1, 2 and 3 below) and enforce them (Sections 4, 5 and 6 below).

We’re committed to enforcing our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy in a way that balances important individual rights like free expression and privacy with our responsibility to keep Vimeo and the broader community safe from harmful materials. Help us do that by following our Guidelines and reporting content that might violate them

 

1. Content

All content -- videos, recordings, livestreams, text, images -- that you submit to us or create using our Services must comply with our Acceptable Use Policy, the contents of which are explained below.
 

1.1 Copyright

Before you submit any content, you must ensure that you have all necessary rights to do so. You must either own the content, have obtained appropriate licenses, or have some other clear legal basis to upload it. If your content contains any third-party works (like background music or stock footage), you must also have the right to include those works in your content. 

Uploading infringing materials may expose you to legal liability and could result in the termination of your account in accordance with our Copyright Policy. For more information on copyright issues, please read our Copyright Law FAQ. 
 

1.2 Creation Rule (Vimeo.com Basic users only)

Basic (free) members of Vimeo.com may only upload videos that they materially developed.  Read More
 

1.3 Content Restrictions

We have reprinted all of the content restrictions listed in subsection 5.2 our Acceptable Use Policy here, along with additional guidance (click the “read more” links to expand various sections). You may not upload content that:

• Infringes any third party’s copyrights or other rights (e.g., trademark, privacy rights, etc.) Read More

• Is sexually explicit (e.g., pornography) or promotes a sexual service  Read More

• Is defamatory Read More

• Is harassing or abusive Read More

• Contains hateful or discriminatory speech  Read More

• Promotes or supports terror or hate groups  Read More

• Provides instructions on how to assemble explosive/incendiary devices or homemade/improvised firearms Read More

• Exploits or endangers minors Read More

• Depicts or encourages self-harm or suicide Read More

• Depicts (1) unlawful real-world acts of extreme violence, (2) vivid, realistic, or particularly graphic acts of violence and brutality, (3) sexualized violence, including rape, torture, abuse, and humiliation, or (4) animal cruelty or extreme violence towards animals Read More

• Promotes fraudulent or dubious money-making schemes, proposes an unlawful transaction, or uses deceptive marketing practices Read More

• Conveys false or misleading claims about (1) vaccination safety, or (2) health-related information that has a serious potential to cause public harm Read More

• Spreads false or misleading information about voting Read More

• Contains conspiracy-related content where the underlying conspiracy theory makes claims that (1) suggest that a real-world tragedy did not occur, or (2) violate other content restrictions  Read More

• Violates any applicable law
   

1.4 Screen Name, Profile Picture and Avatar

You may not use screen names, profile pictures or avatars that are offensive (e.g., names with explicit language), depict any nudity, display symbols associated with gangs, hate groups, or terror organizations, or violate the content restrictions in Section 1.3 above.
 

1.5 Considerations

In making decisions, we consider the entire context of the content to determine whether there may be a valid reason for including certain types of speech, such as newsworthiness, discussion of a religious text, criticism, or dramatic or narrative purposes (for fictional works). Such purposes may not be used, however, as mere devices to justify problematic speech (i.e., Restricted Content under our Acceptable Use Policy, as detailed in Section 1.3 above). We may also consider related content (like title, description, and tags) and information outside of Vimeo, such as the user’s activities elsewhere, materials linked from Vimeo, and the intended audience. 
 

1.6 Content Ratings (Vimeo.com only)

For Vimeo.com only: In some cases, you might submit content that complies with our terms, but may not be suitable for all audiences. If you submit a video that, for example, contains permissible nudity, sexuality or other adult themes, you must rate it as “Mature.” Please read our Content Rating guidance for more information.
 

1.7 Captioning

If you submit content that is also distributed on television, you must provide captioning. Similarly, if you are under any legal obligation to provide captioning, you must do so. Even if you are not required to do so, we strongly encourage you to provide them so that we can provide the best experience possible for people who may have difficulty viewing or listening. For Vimeo.com, please read our Captions and Subtitles article for more information.

2. Restricted Users

Certain users may not use our services, regardless of their content. These are: gangs, hate groups, terror organizations, members of the foregoing, and persons who are subject to U.S. sanctions. In addition, if you are in a country that is subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions, you may not purchase software services or hardware from us.  Read More

3. Conduct 

Our Code of Conduct, Section 5.3 of our Terms of Service, sets rules that bar users from (among other things) harassing other users, interfering with our technical measures, spamming, or engaging in inauthentic behavior. “Spamming” includes mass distribution of the same or similar content, content containing links intended to sell the user some dubious item, and the use of bots, scripts, or other automated tools for any purpose. “Inauthentic behavior” includes creating fake accounts, liking or commenting on your own content using another account, and purchasing likes or comments from third-parties

4. Reporting Suspected Violations

If you see conduct that violates our terms, you may report it by either flagging it (where provided) or contact us. For Vimeo.com, please read our Reporting Abuse article for more information.

If you believe that someone has infringed your copyright, please submit a takedown notice using our Copyright Policy. If you are a law enforcement agency seeking information pertaining to a criminal investigation, please consult our Law Enforcement Guidelines. 

5. Enforcement
 

5.1 Approach to Moderation 

We endeavor to review specific content that is flagged by our users, third parties, and certain software-based systems. We do not endeavor to review every piece of content uploaded to our systems. In addition, when we do review content, it is usually for a particular reason, and so we do not endeavor to review it for all possible terms violations. Nor do we “pre-clear” any content before submission. 
 

5.2 Suspensions, removals and terminations

Violations may result in suspension or removal of videos, account privileges, or your entire account. Account removal will occur in severe cases, such as where you have wilfully or repeatedly violated our terms or have uploaded extremely inappropriate content. If your account is permanently removed, you may not create a new account.

We endeavor to notify account holders of our enforcement decisions by emailing the registered email addresses on file. For this reason, it is important that you keep the email addresses up to date and regularly check your email.

We may, where appropriate, grant grace periods to comply with our requirements. The failure to address our concerns within the provided timeframe will be considered a violation itself absent good cause. 
 

5.3 Appeals

If you believe that we have made a mistake in moderating your account, you may submit a request to reconsider our decision.  Read More
 

6. Legal Effect

These Guidelines provide our definitive views on our restrictions, but are not meant to be exhaustive and shall not be construed to impose limitations or obligations on Vimeo that do not appear in our Terms of Service. We may, from time to time, update our Guidelines to provide guidance on new situations that may arise.