Speaker Content, Recording and Media Distribution Policy

Draft status

Draft pending MMAUG leadership and legal review. This policy is not yet effective. It does not create or evidence retrospective consent from any speaker or participant.

This draft establishes clear expectations regarding intellectual property, recording permissions, content publication, speaker attribution and redistribution of materials connected with MMAUG events.

1. Purpose

MMAUG values the time, knowledge and original work contributed by volunteer speakers. It also seeks to protect the legitimate interests of participants and the community when event content is recorded, published or reused.

This policy provides a consistent framework for recording, managing, publishing and reusing content delivered during MMAUG-organised events.

2. Scope

This policy is intended to apply to:

• Volunteer speakers, presenters and panellists.
• Event organisers, moderators and volunteers.
• MMAUG-organised virtual, physical and hybrid events.
• Bootcamps, workshops, webinars, meetups and conferences.
• Recordings and media produced or commissioned by MMAUG.

Where legally appropriate, an applicable contract or expressly agreed event-specific term takes precedence over this general policy for the matter it covers.

3. Intellectual Property Rights

• Speakers generally retain ownership of their original presentation materials, demonstrations, code and other independently created content, subject to third-party rights and any separate written agreement.
• Participation in an MMAUG event does not automatically transfer ownership of a speaker's underlying intellectual property to MMAUG.
• MMAUG retains ownership of its logos, trademarks, branding assets and original organisational materials.
• Rights relating to recordings produced by or for MMAUG are governed by applicable law and the permissions or agreements obtained from the people who contribute to them.

Speakers remain responsible for ensuring that they have the right to use third-party material included in their sessions and for observing any relevant licence or attribution requirement.

4. Recording Consent and Publication Rights

MMAUG may record a session only where appropriate consent and any other necessary permissions have been obtained. A participating speaker may grant MMAUG a non-exclusive permission to:

• Record the speaker's presentation and contributions.
• Store and archive the event recording.
• Edit the recording for technical quality, accessibility, formatting and reasonable promotional purposes.
• Publish the recording on the MMAUG website, official YouTube channel and other authorised channels.
• Create short highlights and promotional clips with appropriate attribution.

The permission should be recorded through a speaker registration agreement, an onboarding consent process or another clear and documented acceptance mechanism. The applicable policy version and acceptance date should form part of that record.

This policy does not assume consent from a speaker who has not expressly accepted the relevant terms. Historical participation, silence or the previous publication of an event announcement is not treated as retrospective recording or publication consent.

5. Official Recording Management

MMAUG manages official event recordings and associated production files.

• MMAUG determines the official publication channels for each event.
• The official MMAUG YouTube channel is the default public distribution channel for recorded sessions.
• Original production files, including StreamYard recordings, separate audio or video tracks and editing project files, are not routinely shared externally.
• An exception requires authorisation from the designated MMAUG organising team.

6. Content Reuse and Redistribution

• Speakers may share links to their sessions published through MMAUG's official channels.
• A speaker who wishes to download, edit, reupload or redistribute an MMAUG-produced recording must obtain prior written permission from MMAUG, except where the activity is independently permitted by applicable law or an existing agreement.
• Permission may specify required attribution, permitted branding or edits, publication platform, duration and allowed uses.
• Speakers retain the right to use their independently owned materials, subject to applicable agreements and third-party rights.

Nothing in this policy gives MMAUG control over a speaker's future presentation of the same subject or over new material independently created by that speaker.

7. Attribution and Branding

When MMAUG authorises redistribution of an official recording, the recipient must provide the attribution stated in the permission. Unless different wording is approved, the suggested attribution is:

Originally presented at an event organised by Malta Microsoft AI User Group (MMAUG).

MMAUG names, logos and branding must not be used in a way that suggests an unauthorised endorsement, partnership or affiliation.

8. Privacy and Participant Protection

Recording and publication should be planned responsibly. MMAUG organisers should:

• Provide appropriate advance recording notices to speakers and participants.
• Identify and document the applicable recording consent, privacy requirements and lawful basis.
• Limit collection and publication to material that is necessary for the stated event purpose.
• Protect confidential or personal information inadvertently captured during a session.
• Review reasonable requests to remove or redact sensitive content.
• Apply proportionate access, retention and deletion controls to recordings and consent records.

These practices should be reviewed against the EU General Data Protection Regulation, Malta's Data Protection Act and any other applicable requirement. Publishing this policy does not, by itself, guarantee legal compliance or replace a context-specific privacy assessment. Where MMAUG publishes an applicable privacy notice, it should be read together with this policy.

Privacy questions or content concerns may be submitted through the official contact page.

9. Permission Requests and Exceptions

A speaker may request permission to access, edit or redistribute an official recording by using the MMAUG contact page or the verified official address info@mmaug.com.

The request should include:

• The speaker's name.
• The event name and date.
• The official recording URL.
• The intended use.
• The platform where the material will be published.
• Any proposed changes or edits.

Each request is reviewed individually. Permission is not automatic.

10. Policy Enforcement

MMAUG may take proportionate steps to address unauthorised redistribution of an official recording or misuse of MMAUG branding. The first aim is to clarify the applicable permission, correct misunderstandings and agree a practical remedy where possible.

Concerns should be raised through MMAUG's official contact channels. The organising team will review the available information, give affected people a reasonable opportunity to respond and seek to resolve disputes in good faith.

11. Policy Updates

MMAUG may periodically review this policy to reflect operational experience, platform changes and applicable legal or privacy requirements. Material updates should identify the revised version and last-updated date.

An effective date will be added only after formal approval. Speakers should be shown the version that applies when their permission is requested; a later update does not create retrospective acceptance of new terms.