Tweet AMPAS to host event on Copyright Wars

AMPAS will present their Academy Scholars' event with a discussion about Hollywood's copyright wars, from Edison until now.
http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibition ... right.html

Hollywood's moguls in the 1920s created AMPAS as a union busting tool. This "event" AMPAS is hosting shows not much has changed in the mindset of the executives who run AMPAS. The Oscar show is AMPAS' chief source of revenue these days, money it uses to hire the incompetents who target anyone with the effrontery to make money off selling Oscar trophy. Name one other award granting institution that threatens legal action against someone who tries to sell a trophy or plaque earned for an artistic accomplishment. The Golden Globes? The Gramnies? The Tony awards? No, only AMPAS.

When you talk about thievery, Hollywood is ground zero with its crooked accounting practices so that a super-hit like "Coming To America" is still showing it lost money. Fess Parker spent years in court to get his profit sharing percentage from his TV series Daniel Boone. Series co-producer Aaron Rosenberg died before the case ended in victory for Parker and for Rosenberg's estate. So now, under the auspices of the studio toadies at AMPAS, the Hollywood corporate thieves are giving us a lecture on copyrights. Well, the corporations that run Hollywood also control the US Department of Justice, so why not. All these corporate bigshots have to do is say, "Justice Department, fetch," and AG Eric Holder sends FBI agents to New Zealand to arrest Megaupload owner Kim Dotcom on the type of extra-territorial copyright charges that the U.S Supreme Court will toss out as being outside the jusrisdiction of the USDOJ.

Meanwhile, the show that made AMPAS, the Oscar telecast, was plain terrible this year. Billy Crystal's face looked it had been worked over by Dr. Frankenstein. A boring show. As a follow up, AMPAS will now have a boring lecture.

I work for this organization, and I am not an incompetent. Yes, AMPAS goes after anyone using or copying a TRADEMARKED image (which the Oscar is) for copyright and trademark infringement, which is against federal law. AMPAS' budget does come from the show, which then goes to preserve film, conserve and protect photograph and manuscript collections, give grants nationwide to deserving film organizations, run the Student Academy Awards, run the Nicholl Fellowship for outstanding scripts, and even support two scholars yearly with stipends to conduct research for books, authors such as Cari Beauchamp, Thomas Doherty, Jane Gaines, Steven Ross, etc.

Miss Dupont has modestly neglected to mention the Margaret Herrick Library, which I'm sure has been used by or has benefited many visitors to this website.

"That's rich!" was my first response upon seeing the listing. I will be shocked if it doesn't devolve into pro-copyright propaganda. Wait, wait, the description already gives me a sour taste:

Hollywood’s love-hate relationship with fair use, and how the industry has responded to its intellectual property issues through self-regulation.

Love-hate? SELF-regulation? HA!

This just posted by a lady on another board. She didn't even know about these AMPAS lectures. Comment concerns Grapevine version of CLASH WITH WOLVES (1925) being pulled. Was just released a month or two ago.

The whole thing is ridiculous. These films are approaching 90 years old. ENOUGH WITH DAMN COPYRIGHTS ON ANCIENT WORKS!!!! grrrrrrrrrrrrr..........................

Copyrights are moronic for silent films.... RELEASE THEM ALL. No one living had anything to do with silent films. ENOUGH

[silentfilm]

It's funny how everybody knows how slanted the AMPAS Copyright Seminar will be, and the event hasn't even occurred yet!

[quote="drednm"]Copyrights are moronic for silent films.... RELEASE THEM ALL. No one living had anything to do with silent films. ENOUGH[/quote]

I agree.

Most studios didn't have the foresight to take care of their film inventories.
They just let films rot on shelves or fire sweep them away forever.
When they did actually pay attention, it was to sell them for their
silver and celluloid content. As far as copyright protection, Pandora's
Box is open, and its last remaining resident, Hope, has moved to a
condo in Orange County because, unlike Greta Garbo, It did NOT want
to be left alone.

Im excited, I want to hear or read what the discussion is. But everyone lets stow the snarling and growling.

If those who are getting excited about AMPAS sponsoring a point of view on copyright would look at the announcement on their website (www.oscars.org), you will see that it is a presentation by the author of the book "Hollywood's Copyright Wars".
These are usually some readings from the book, and comments by the author.

Thanks for the information! Here's a link to the forthcoming book, which sounds very interesting: http://www.amazon.com/Hollywoods-Copyri ... 0231159463

Beverly Hills, CA – Academy Film Scholar Peter Decherney, author of Hollywood’s Copyright Wars: From Edison to the Internet, will present highlights from his upcoming book on Monday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Hollywood’s Copyright Wars will be released in April; advance copies will be available at the event. Admission is free.

Decherney will frame the current debate about technology and intellectual property in historical and political terms, discussing such issues as piracy, plagiarism, Hollywood’s love-hate relationship with fair use, and how the industry has responded to its intellectual property issues through self-regulation.

Decherney, who was named an Academy Film Scholar in 2009, is associate professor of cinema studies, English and communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Hollywood and the Culture Elite: How the Movies Became American (2005) and many articles on the film industry, including an October 2011 New York Times op-ed piece titled "Will Copyright Stifle Hollywood?"

Established in 1999, the Academy Film Scholars program is designed to stimulate and support the creation of new and significant works of film scholarship about aesthetic, cultural, educational, historical, theoretical or scientific aspects of theatrical motion pictures. Film scholars receive $25,000 to research and produce such works, which can take the form of books, multimedia presentations, curatorial projects, DVDs or Internet sites.

For grant guidelines and information about the Academy Film Scholars program, visit http://www.oscars.org/education-outreac ... index.html

Admission to the Academy Film Scholars presentation is free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available by mail, at the Academy box office, or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved.

The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.

For more information call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

Here is the original post on the subject:
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How did this turn out? I totally forgot about it.

It really generated discussion. The author gave three examples from his book on how the film industry either lost out on trying to take advantage of copyright or how in the last 30 years, have been able to claim copyright on genre elements. His first example was the 1907 BEN HUR. At that time, filmmakers freely adapted plays and books without acquiring copyright. Lew Wallace sold the rights to his book to Klaw and Erlanger who adapted it for the stage. A film version was made without getting any permission, and they lost in court, and from that time on, rights have to be bought for plays and books still under copyright. The second example was Charlie Chaplin and how he tried to claim copyright over his character of the tramp. He had freely borrowed elements of his character from other comedians, but then tried to sue others when they appropriated elements of his character. Parody comes into play here, and he usually lost these cases. The third example was how people like Spielberg and Lucas have somehow won copyright cases in the last couple of decades claiming they have added unique elements to genre pictures like JAWS and STAR WARS, forcing small, independent producers to usually pull their product. There was a lively question and answer period afterwards.

I received a copy of the book, "Hollywood's Copyright Wars," a few days ago and have begun reading it. This fellow knows his law and his film history, too!

The result is a very interesting behind-the-scenes look at how Hollywood operates, as well as a thoughtful analysis of how copyright issues influenced Hollywood, and vice versa. Definitely worth a look. SETH

The third example was how people like Spielberg and Lucas have somehow won copyright cases in the last couple of decades claiming they have added unique elements to genre pictures like JAWS and STAR WARS, forcing small, independent producers to usually pull their product.

Somehow? In civil litigation, not the merits of your case, but the depth of your pockets, usually determines the outcome. A multitude of decisions could be adduced to demonstrate this nasty fact, but one that's gotten a lot of press coverage in my area concerns a small-timer in Vermont who for a decade had been selling T-shirts, coffee-cups, etc, emblazoned with the slogan "Eat more kale." (The esoteric significance of which eludes me.) Fast-food giant Chick-File, whose slogan is "Eat more chicken," got wind of his nickel & dime business, & dragged him into court, which just rendered a verdict. Care to guess who won?

Did Mel Brooks get sued for
his "May the Schwartz be with
you" from the movie Spaceballs?

Speaking of balls, the movie
Turkish Star Wars rips off footage
wholesale from Star Wars. George
Lucas must've gotten such a big
laugh that he spared this effort
legal recourse.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js6NqlAc29I" target="_blank