You can't give Github or Youtube or anybody else copyright rights if you don't have them in the first place. This is what ultimately torpedoed "Happy Birthday" copyright claims: while it's pretty undisputed that the Hill sisters gave their copyright to (ultimately) Warner/Chapelle, it was the case that they actually didn't invent the lyrics, and thus Warner/Chapelle had no copyright over the lyrics.
So if someone uploads a Hollywood movie to Youtube, Youtube doesn't get the rights to play that movie from them because they didn't have the rights in the first place. Of course, if the actual copyright owner uploads it, it's now permissible for Youtube to play it, even if it's the copy that someone else provided. [This has torpedoed a few filesharing lawsuits.]
So if someone uploads a Hollywood movie to Youtube, Youtube doesn't get the rights to play that movie from them because they didn't have the rights in the first place. Of course, if the actual copyright owner uploads it, it's now permissible for Youtube to play it, even if it's the copy that someone else provided. [This has torpedoed a few filesharing lawsuits.]
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