Music

Please remember the following part of the rules when choosing music/audio for your commercial:

Any elements in your Submission, including without limitation music, audio, speech/voiceovers, stills, video, supers, or other audiovisual materials used must be 1) entirely original, created and performed by you, 2) be in the public domain, 3) or be downloaded from the Director's Tools section of the Web Site.

Declined because your video is "no longer available"?

If your video is regretfully declined because your video is "no longer available" it is most likely because your video's embed code is disabled on YouTube.  The embed code must be enabled in order for the review team to see your video. 

If your video falls into this category, just go back and enable the embed code and send me, the moderator, an email at moderator@topthistv.com.  I will then notify the review team and your video will be treated like a new entry and will get reviewed.

Trademark Infringement

Trademark infringement is another common reason videos cannot be accepted into the contest.   Generally, trademark infringement is showing a company's name, logo or brand likeness without their permission.

Be careful of what is in the background of your commercial; many submissions have inadvertently included another company's brand in the backdrop of their video and thus could not be accepted into the contest.  For example, if you're filming with a street in the background, make sure that no car brands can be seen.  Or if your video shows the inside of a fridge, make sure you don't show any other food or drink brands.

You do of course have permission to use the Heinz® Ketchup brand in your commercial!

Parodies

While the Top This TV review team gets a kick out of watching parody commercials that are submitted, they must regretfully reject these videos.  Why?  According to the lawyers, the law on parodies is mixed so there is a significant risk that a parody might be found to be a derivative work and therefore infringing on a third party's rights.  Thus, parody commercials regretfully can not be accepted.

According to Webster's Online Dictionary, a parody is:

1. A composition that imitates somebody's style in a humorous way.

2. Humorous or satirical mimicry.

In contemporary usage, parody is a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it. Parodies exists in all art media, including literature, music and cinema.

So please do not spend your time and energy creating a parody commercial!