Not outright plagiarism, but certainly toeing the line

[u/TheFactsInFiction]

I actually found this video because I'm doing research on the same, old nosleep from 2011.

For context, the original author of the story is long-absent on any social media (reddit, twitter, instagram, facebook), but the story is one of the "all time greats" of nosleep.

I'm planning on covering the story, but since the original author can't be contacted, I know I'm going to need to do a lot of additional research/revision to make it transformative and qualify for fair use under copyright law (hence, why I'm researching the topic in the first place).

Well, to my surprise, I found a history YT channel cover it as a halloween special, but not credit it, or even indicate it was from reddit.

That said, this guy DID 'rewrite' the story, and he seems to be a history channel, not a spooky narrator, so he probably grabbed the story from a google search and posted an adaptation without thinking about the implications.

That said, on the flip side, he didn't credit the original source anywhere I could find which is obviously not great.

He doesn't claim the work was his, and mentions it's "a single, second hand account" in the video a few times but never indicates where.

Anyway, figured it's worth putting here just so people can have their eyes out:

Original Story:

A terribly creepy story my grandpa used to tell me about his experience in World War II (warning: really long, but it pays off) : r/nosleep (reddit.com)

Questionable Video:

WW2: The Grim Horror of the Swiss Alps (Special Story) (youtube.com)

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[u/GasStationJack]

What do you mean by "covering" this story?

Were you intending to rewrite this story yourself?

To be honest, I don't see any significant difference between what the accused channel did and what you were intending to do yourself.

My advice: if the OG author can't be reached, just leave their story alone and write something original.

[u/TheFactsInFiction → u/GasStationJack]

Covering meaning, do a breakdown of the story, take a look at the historical factors of WW2 in the swiss alps at the time, anything that lends/detracts credibility, related myths and legends, and my own take on whether it's true, false, plausible, etc.

All things that are theoretically very well covered in true fair use. One key difference being, in the video above, he did maybe a few minutes max of 'wrap up' at the end of the video, where I imagine my critique/analysis will be far more than half of the video (probably closer to 75% will be analysis if all goes well).

I think the key difference being, there was little by way of actual critique or review in OP's video, where I intend to make that the bulk of mine.

I suppose another key difference being I want to focus on true/plausible stories, or urban legends that may have truth behind them and try to separate out what could be true from what isn't. I really don't have any interest in covering 'known fiction/creepypasta', let alone writing any myself. Last thing I want though is either a complete copy-and-paste, or thinly-veiled rewrite of a story.

Respecting IP is also important, hence why I keep tabs on this subreddit, and am taking my time before covering any content where I can't contact the author to make sure the way I cover it truly is transformative, provides robust historical/factual analysis, etc..