Citation Help
- Best Practices for AttributionA guide for how to credit Creative Commons resources.
Recommended Reading
Reclaiming Fair Use by
In the increasingly complex and combative arena of copyright in the digital age, record companies sue college students over peer-to-peer music sharing, YouTube removes home movies because of a song playing in the background, and filmmakers are denied a distribution deal when some permissions “i” proves undottable. Patricia Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi chart a clear path through the confusion by urging a robust embrace of a principle long-embedded in copyright law, but too often poorly understood—fair use. By challenging the widely held notion that current copyright law has become unworkable and obsolete in the era of digital technologies, Reclaiming Fair Use promises to reshape the debate in both scholarly circles and the creative community. This indispensable guide distills the authors’ years of experience advising documentary filmmakers, English teachers, performing arts scholars, and other creative professionals into no-nonsense advice and practical examples for content producers. Reclaiming Fair Use begins by surveying the landscape of contemporary copyright law—and the dampening effect it can have on creativity—before laying out how the fair-use principle can be employed to avoid copyright violation. Finally, Aufderheide and Jaszi summarize their work with artists and professional groups to develop best practice documents for fair use and discuss fair use in an international context. Appendixes address common myths about fair use and provide a template for creating the reader’s own best practices. Reclaiming Fair Use will be essential reading for anyone concerned with the law, creativity, and the ever-broadening realm of new media.
Call Number: KF3020 .A984 2011ISBN: 9780226032276Publication Date: 2011-08-15
Bound by Law? by
This graphic-novel-format paperback is an excellent introduction to copyright law. The authors, all law professors, wanted to make copyright accessible for everyone in a form other than a law-review article. The "plot" revolves around Akiko, a filmmaker who wants to capture a day in the life of New York City. As Akiko tries to produce her film, she learns about copyright basics, including fair use, public domain, and the impact of digital technology. She also learns about the rise of the "rights culture," that is, a culture that demands a person obtain the rights to use copyrighted materials even for incidental uses for which rights were not required in the past. We leave Akiko musing over a "cultural environmental movement" that would counter the rights culture. The book, published under a Creative Commons License, which clearly spells out the rights granted to readers, is also available to be read or downloaded for free at http://www.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics. This is a fantastic approach for introducing students to copyright law, even at the middle-school level, and a must for professional development.
ISBN: 0974155314Publication Date: 2006-04-01
Archival Storytelling: A Filmmaker's Guide to Finding, Using, and Licensing Third-Party Visuals and Music by
Archival Storytelling is an essential, pragmatic guide to one of the most challenging issues facing filmmakers today: the use of images and music that belong to someone else. Where do producers go for affordable stills and footage? How do filmmakers evaluate the historical value of archival materials? What do verite' producers need to know when documenting a world filled with rights-protected images and sounds? How do filmmakers protect their own creative efforts from infringement? Filled with advice and insight from filmmakers, archivists, film researchers, music supervisors, intellectual property experts, insurance executives and others, Archival Storytelling defines key terms-copyright, fair use, public domain, orphan works and more-and challenges filmmakers to become not only archival users but also archival and copyright activists, ensuring their ongoing ability as creators to draw on the cultural materials that surround them. Features conversations with industry leaders including Patricia Aufderheide, Hubert Best, Peter Jaszi, Jan Krawitz, Lawrence Lessig, Stanley Nelson, Rick Prelinger, Geoffrey C. Ward and many others. Additional praise for Archival Storytelling: "I've been making historical documentaries for many years, yet I learned new things from this book. This is the definitive guide for archival research for documentary filmmakers. An invaluable resource." -Mark Jonathan Harris, Distinguished Professor, School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California, and writer/director, The Long Way Home and Into the Arms of Strangers "One of the best-and most needed-[books] I have seen in a while..The challenge is to keep what is a fairly technical aspect of filmmaking interesting without compromising the quality and depth of information. The authors have done an exceptional job in this regard by the careful interweaving of interviews with researchers, filmmakers and legal experts through the factual material.There is the strong sense of being in the presence of experienced filmmakers and researchers who accept that while there are standard practices, archival use and intellectual property laws etc. are contingent fields in which each case must be assessed and dealt with on its merits." -Bruce Sheridan, Chair, Film & Video Department, Columbia College "It's hard to imagine a more organized, comprehensive dissection of Byzantine material. The authors have produced a tremendous guide for all who use archival resources. Best of all, because of their effort, I believe more individuals will be able to access and properly utilize such material. This book will serve filmmakers and, in turn, the public for years to come." -Thomas Speicher, Producer, Pennsylvania College of Technology "Not simply a 'how-to' manual, it is also a discussion of ideas, issues and history that creates an enjoyable text even when the subject matter becomes complicated.The real world examples, the roundtable discussions, and the exploration of ideas and issues surrounding the technical aspects are very welcome and well done." -Dustin Ogdin, Filmmaker, Spoke Digital Films "The book properly advances the notion that 'films matter,' but this is countered by discussants with 'films cost money too.' Filmmakers may take decades to recoup, and licensing helps. It's an ongoing volley, the chapter engenders a road map through the split, the tension makes a good read...This authorative book belongs on every producer's shelf." -Loren S. Miller, Freelance Documentary and Dramatic Editor, Emerson College
ISBN: 0240809734Publication Date: 2008-09-22
The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers by
* How can you use a state's film tax credits to fund your film? SEE PAGE 63. * You have an idea you want to pitch to a production company; how do you safeguard your concept? SEE PAGE 77.nbsp; * How can you fund your production with product placement? SEE PAGE 157. * How do you get a script to popular Hollywood actors and deal with their agents?nbsp;SEE PAGE 222.nbsp; nbsp;Find quick answers to these and hundreds of other questions in this new edition of The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers. This no-nonsense reference provides fast answers in plain English-no law degree required! Arm yourself with the practical advice of author Thomas Crowell, a TV-producer-turned-entertainment-lawyer. This new edition features: * New sections on product placement, film tax credits and production incentive financing, Letters of Intent, and DIY distribution (four-walling, YouTube, Download-to-own, Amazon.com, iTunes, and Netflix) * Updated case law * Even more charts and graphics to help you find the information you need even more quickly. This book is the next best thing to having an entertainment attorney on retainer!
ISBN: 0240813189Publication Date: 2011-01-06
Interesting Archives
- Home Movie Collections of the Internet ArchiveThis collection of home movies includes amateur films and videotapes from the collections of the Center for Home Movies and other home movie aficionados. This collection includes amateur productions, home movies and home videos of family activities, travelogues, dramas and a variety of homemade films from the last century, as well as ephemeral films about home movie making.
- Lantern - Film EphemeraThe search and visualization platform for over 1.3 million pages of digitized books and magazines from the histories of film, broadcasting, and recorded sound.
An open access co-production of the Media History Digital Library and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Communication Arts. - Library of Congress Digital CollectionsCollections include, American Memory, a digital library of historic maps, photos, documents, audio and video of American culture; the National Jukebox featuring over 10,000 78rpm disc sides issued by the Victor Talking Machine Co. between 1900 and 1925; and the Veterans History Project, first-person stories of wartime service through personal artifacts, audio and video interviews.
Copyright & Fair Use Resources
- U.S. Copyright OfficeCopyright is a kind of intellectual property monopoly. And if it was intellectual property Monopoly, this site would be “Go.” Translation: Start here.
- How to Register a WorkThis site takes you to eCO, where you can file a copyright registration for your work through the Copyright Office online system.
- Cornell University Copyright Information CenterMore great links.
- Stanford University Libraries: Copyright & Fair Use: Charts and ToolsA great page of links.
- Stanford Copyright Renewal DatabaseLets you search for whether a work is still under copyright or not.
- Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United StatesA chart to help you understand the labyrinthine laws regarding when a work will fall into the public domain. The chart is available as a PDF.
- Creative CommonsWhere to go if you want to give it away, legally speaking.
- Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair UseIf you are a documentary maker you should know this up and down.
- Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online VideoLike the Documentary Best Practices, this is something to know and learn.
- Fair Use FAQA must-read from the Center for Media & Social Impact.
Stock Media Sources (Require Fees)
- AudioSocketAudiosocket is a music licensing and technology company that provides creative music licensing solutions for all media, including student and indie film licensing.
- Getty ImagesHigh resolution royalty-free images, editorial stock photos, vector art, video footage clips and stock music licensing in an extensive and high quality search library.
- Vimeo Music StoreA searchable library of tracks including Creative Commons-licensed music is curated and provided by Free Music Archive, one of the most-respected curators of Creative Commons-licensed music as well as paid music tracks provided by Audiosocket.
Open Image & Multimedia Collections
- START HERE: CC Search (Beta)Use this prototype to find images that you can use and remix, across several open archives, including Flickr, MOMA, and NYPL.
- British Library Image Collection on FlickrThe British Library (BL) has released over one million images from 17th, 18th, and 19th century books on Flickr. Equally important, the images and metadata have been released into the public domain.
Although the images and data are available for use and reuse without restriction, BL is following an increasingly common trend among GLAM institutions where attribution is requested (rather than required). - Digital Public Library of AmericaThe Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.
- Flickr Creative CommonsMany Flickr users have chosen to offer their work under a Creative Commons license, and you can browse or search through content under each type of license.
- Free Music ArchiveArchive of public domain and Creative Commons licensed songs managed with a curatorial approach.
- FreesoundFreesound is a collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds. Browse, download and share sounds.
- Internet ArchiveInternet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies & music, as well as 376 billion archived web pages. Be sure to check out the Prelinger Archives!
- Oral History Association - Centers and CollectionsThe OHA's list of oral history centers and collections. A great way to get started looking for oral history recordings of interest to you.
- US Library of Congress Flickr StreamThe LOC Flickr collection offers sets of digitized photos: the 1,600 color images from the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, 1,500+ images from the George Grantham Bain News Service, selected panoramic photographs, portraits of jazz musicians and personalities, and other photos from the Library of Congress collections that possess these qualities: they have long been popular with visitors to the Library; they have no known restrictions on publication or distribution, and they have high resolution scans.
- Wikimedia Commons: Commons: Free Media ResourcesA list of links to free media sources created by Wikimedia Commons.