New Rules for Documentary Filmmakers

This week the Digital Production BuZZ, the world's only interactive talk radio show for digital production, post-production and distribution, airs a live interview with Eddie Schmidt, President of the Board of IDA (International Documentary Association) and an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker. Schmidt comes to the BuZZ to share his perspective on the recent copyright ruling favoring documentary filmmakers by the U.S. Copyright Office. The show airs Thursday, August 12th, 6:00pm (PDT) on the show website or can be downloaded later via iTunes or Zune Player.

"This ruling is a significant victory for filmmakers," said Cirina Catania, Documentary Filmmaker and Producer of the Digital Production BuZZ. "Immediate and reasonable access to content on DVD's that was previously held hostage, allows us to make better films in a timely fashion and without incurring exorbitant fees. It's a new frontier and will certainly boost creativity and profitability for all sectors of our business. We are very grateful to everyone on the team who made this possible."

At the end of July a team of USC Law students under the supervision of Jack Lerner, professor at USC and Director of the Intellectual Property and Technology Clinic, who appeared on last week's Digital Production BuZZ, helped secure an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998. The exemption eases restrictions on copyright that allows documentary filmmakers Fair Use to material contained on copy-protected DVDs and other sources that were previously off limits. The immediate and direct consequence of this court ruling impacts everyone producing videos today.

"Fair Use is an incredibly murky area," said Larry Jordan, executive producer and host of the Digital Production Buzz. "It is now essentially legal to excerpt materials from copy-protected DVDs, but illegal to create software that does so. It is legal to use a five-second clip without paying royalties or copyright fees, but, probably, illegal to use an entire show."

"The Digital Production Buzz is actively concerned with issues that affect independent filmmakers," Jordan continued. "We are delighted to provide a continuing forum for everyone involved in our industry to learn more about these issues and discover solutions to common problems. We have been covering the media industry since 2005 with in-depth reports and interviews. These new rulings allow us to continue doing what we do best - explain a highly technical world in terms that make sense to all of us."



*thanks iclarified*

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