HARRIS TULCHIN
& ASSOCIATS LTD

Learn about the company

producer's guidePRODUCERS'
SURVIVAL GUIDE

OUTLINES
AND ARTICLES

View samples here

Got a question about the business or legal aspects of entertainment, multimedia or intellectual property?

Article

COPYRIGHT & RELATED ISSUES
FOR MULTIMEDIA AND ONLINE ENTREPRENEURS

Lecture Notes for UCLA Multimedia Law Classes
By Harris Tulchin


I. COPYRIGHT BASICS - WHAT IS A COPYRIGHT?
II.TRADEMARKS
III.WHAT COPYRIGHT DOES
IV.WORKS FOR HIRE
V.COPYRIGHT DURATION
VI.HOW TO REGISTER A WORK
VII. HYPOTHETICAL - CD ROM PROJECT
VIII. SCANNING OBSCURE MAGAZINES
IX. PHOTOS OF FAMOUS PAINTINGS, OR OTHER WORKS OF ART
X. IMAGES FROM FOREIGN PUBLICATIONS
XI. PHOTOS OF CELEBRITIES
XII. HOW DO YOU FIND OUT WHO OWNS THE RIGHTS TO AN IMAGE ?
XIII.WHAT CAN ARTISTS, OR PUBLISHERS DO TO PROTECT THEIR WORK?
XIV.EFFORTS UNDER WAY TO UPDATE COPYRIGHT LAWS


I. COPYRIGHT BASICS - WHAT IS A COPYRIGHT?

  • A. A copyright is a protection under Title 17 of the U.S. Code offered to the authors of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other intellectual properties, whether published, or unpublished.
  • B. A copyright protects the particular manner in which a work's contents, and ideas are expressed.
  • C. You cannot copyright ideas, facts, titles, short phrases, slogans, or names, among other things.

II.TRADEMARKS

III.WHAT COPYRIGHT DOES

IV.WORKS FOR HIRE

V.COPYRIGHT DURATION

VI.HOW TO REGISTER A WORK

  • A. To register a work you must fill out an application form from the U.S. Copyright Office, pay the $20.00 application fee, and send one, or more copies of the work to the copyright office with the form.
  • B. You can get these forms from the Copyright Office Information and Publication section LM-455 Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20559, or call 202/707-3000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              202/707-3000      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

VII. HYPOTHETICAL - CD ROM PROJECT

  • A. You have an assignment to create a CD-ROM that is due to be delivered, and your deadline is imminent. After working for hours trying to finalize it, you realize your product needs one last final touch, an image of the thick white clouds in a blue sky passing over a mountain. You pick up a current magazine; find a beautiful photo of exactly what you need; scan the photo (or a portion of the photo) into an image editing program, and put a portion of the clouds, sky and mountain into your drawing program, and use it in your CD-ROM product.
  • B. It is an easy solution, your image looks great, you have finished the assignment on the product on schedule. There is only one problem. You have just committed copyright infringement.
    1. Under current copyright laws your appropriation of the image is a derivative use of the original photograph. Unless you receive permission from the copyright owner, you have violated the owner's copyright.
    2. There may be several mitigating factors, or shades of grey to consider. For example:
    a. In the original magazine photo, how distinctive, or representative of the originator's work are the sky, clouds and mountain?
    b. How important are the sky, clouds and mountain to the original image, or are they simply part of the background, or are they the focal point?
    c. How much of the image did you use for your CD-ROM product?
    d. Did you change the color, or otherwise alter the image?
    e. How likely is it that your use of the image has damaged the photographer's ability to sell his, or her original work again?

  • C. Today's Technology: With today's electronic technology, the boundaries between right and wrong, between inspiration and infringement, are becoming increasingly blurred.
  • D. Sorting Through: To sort through many of the grey areas of copyright law, I am going to deal with some of the most frequently asked questions about graphics, publishing, copyright, computers, and protection.
  • E. Copyright Law is Technical:It is important to remember that copyright law is extremely technical, and its application can vary greatly from one situation to another.
  • F. Play it Safe: It is always better to play safe, and get permission -- paying a licensing fee is almost always cheaper than hiring an attorney.
  • G. The Example: In the example I just described -- how likely is it that the artist who scanned that portion of clouds, sky and mountain would be challenged by the copyright owner?
    1. In this particular case, it may be unlikely, particularly if you borrowed a small portion of the image. But as we will see later -- it is an infringement and it can cost you.
    2. Scanning: When you scan the photo, you are indeed infringing on the copyright of that image.
    3. Lifting, Adapting: When you lift a portion of the photo, you are adapting, or modifying that image without permission, which is another act of infringement -- the copyright owner has the sole right to adapt, or modify his work.
    4. Copying: Once you have incorporated the image, or whatever you've used into a new image, every time a copy of that image is made, the original owner's copyright is infringed against.
    5. Minimal Use; Substantial Similarity: If a portion of the photo you appropriated is minimal, and insignificant to the original image as a whole, then perhaps what you've done doesn't really rise to the level of infringement, which requires substantial similarity.
    6. Limited Specific Guidelines: Current copyright law does not offer very specific guidelines in guiding how much of a work can be copied without infringing.
    7. Music Industry; Sampling: Recent decisions in the music industry may offer some guidelines.
    a. Gilbert O'Sullivan vs. Biz Markie: In a 1991 lawsuit, singer Gilbert O'Sullivan sued rap performer Biz Markie, and 8 other defendants for sampling, or including without permission, a small portion of O'Sullivan's "Alone Again Naturally," Markie's song, "Alone Again."
    b. The rap song borrowed just 3 words, and 8 bars of the music from O'Sullivan's hit, but what it borrowed, particularly the words, "Alone again, naturally" was an important part of the original tune.
    c. Markie's attorney defended this action on the grounds that stealing bits and pieces from songs was common in the music industry, but the court ruled against the rapper.
    d. Had Markie used the less recognized, or important parts of O'Sullivan's song, it is possible that there would have been no judgment against Markie.
    8. Fair Use: The fair use privilege allows for a limited amount of copying without permission for the purposes of commentary, news reporting, educational, and other uses.
    a. Fair Use -- sometimes interpreted too broadly: Many copyright infringements occur when fair use is interpreted too broadly.
    b. When borrowing portions of clouds, sky and mountain from someone else's work, the artist might assume that the small amount being taken constitutes fair use.
    c. Strict Analysis: No Fair Use: On the other hand, strict legal analysis would say that since there is no degree of commentary, or criticism involved, no news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, it is simply not a fair use.
    d. Slight taking; No commercial injury: Some legal experts would say that if the taking is relatively slight, and insignificant to the original work, and it doesn't hurt the commercial value of the original, then many courts would allow the use.
    e. Artists are vigilant protectors of their rights: On the other hand, many artists, publishers, and advertising agencies mistakenly assume that using a fairly genetic photograph or illustration in its entirety as a small portion of a new image, is safe.
    1. This is not necessarily the case. Recently, a veteran photographer, a writer who works for major national magazines, discovered a full-page ad in a computer magazine, showing business executives watching an audio-visual presentation.
    2. On one of the 3 AV projection screens featured in the ad, there was a small photograph of fiber optic wires that the photographer recognized as his own work.
    3. The photographer's attorney contacted the manufacturer and the ad agency who created the ad, and they admitted that they had not obtained permission, assuming that it was not necessary for the fiber optic image.
    4. They admitted that the ad had run numerous times in various magazines. The photographer submitted a bill for numerous separate uses of the photograph, and the bill was paid.
    5. Can't use copyrighted image without permission: The point of this is simple. Technically, under the copyright law, you cannot use someone else's copyrighting image without their permission, unless you would be willing to risk a lawsuit.

VIII. SCANNING OBSCURE MAGAZINES: If a CD-ROM producer scans photos from obscure magazines of the 1930's and '40's, colorizes, or otherwise alters them, and uses them as central images for a CD-ROM product, is he, or she guilty of infringement?

IX.DO YOU NEED PERMISSION TO PUBLISH PHOTOS OF FAMOUS PAINTINGS, OR OTHER WORKS OF ART, EVEN IF BECAUSE OF THEIR AGE, THEY ARE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN?

X. IS IT OKAY TO COPY IMAGES FROM FOREIGN PUBLICATIONS WITHOUT GETTING PERMISSION?

XI. CAN A CD-ROM PUBLISHER USE PHOTOS OF CELEBRITIES IN ITS MULTIMEDIA PRODUCT WITHOUT PERMISSION?

XII. HOW DO YOU FIND OUT WHO OWNS THE RIGHTS TO AN IMAGE IF IT IS NOT APPARENT?

XIII.WHAT CAN ARTISTS, OR PUBLISHERS DO TO PROTECT THEIR WORK FROM COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT BY OTHERS?

XIV.ARE THERE ANY EFFORTS UNDER WAY TO UPDATE COPYRIGHT LAWS AS A RESULT OF THE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN PERSONAL COMPUTER USE?

XV. TWO ARTISTS' VIEWS

 

 

 

harris tulchin About Harris Tulchin & Associates

Harris Tulchin & Associates is an international entertainment, multimedia & intellectual property law firm created to provide legal and business services for all phases of the development, financing, production and distribution of entertainment products and services and multimedia software on a timely and cost effective basis to its clients in the motion picture, television, music, multimedia and online industries.
Recent News
  • May 18 , 2007 - CANNES 2007 - PRESS RELEASE
    Tulchin Wraps Principal Photography on Chatham Starring Carradine, Dern, Torn, And Hemilgway;Sells Cinamavault Intl. Rights
  • May 18 , 2007 - CANNES 2007 - PRESS RELEASE
    Tulchin Wraps Principal Photography on Chatham Starring Carradine, Dern, Torn, And Hemilgway;Sells Cinamavault Intl. Rights