Arlington Heights, IL — The Village of Arlington Heights is facing scrutiny over the use of a copyright tag on videos of its Board meetings posted to the official YouTube channel. The Village's labeling of these videos with a 2025 copyright is not in accordance with U.S. copyright law, raising concerns about public access to government proceedings.
An email was sent to Arlington Heights Village Manager Randal Recklaus, with Village President Thomas Hayes and Village Clerk Rebeca Humes CC’d, urging immediate action to remove the copyright claim. The email highlights several legal provisions that confirm the Board meetings, which are public records, cannot be copyrighted.
Under Federal Law (17 U.S.C. § 105), government-created works, including public meeting recordings, are generally not eligible for copyright protection. Additionally, Open Meetings and Public Records laws ensure that government proceedings remain accessible to the public, reinforcing the idea that these materials should be freely available. Even if a copyright claim were attempted, the nature of these recordings would likely fall under fair use, especially for purposes like news reporting and promoting public transparency.
The email sent to Village officials urged that the Village take immediate action to correct the issue and remove any improper copyright claims on the videos of these public meetings. “Transparency and public access to government proceedings should remain uncompromised,” the email emphasized.
The concern raised underscores the broader issue of ensuring that public government meetings remain accessible to the people they are meant to serve. The presence of a copyright tag on these videos may create unnecessary barriers to the public’s ability to access, share, and use these recordings for civic engagement, reporting, and other public purposes.
As of now, it remains unclear how the Village of Arlington Heights will respond to the request for clarification and removal of the copyright claim.
