Trust me I know it is very frustrating, but the fact that you are unable to get a response or the even more likely scenario that the response is no ( I am thinking here more of feature films) than you have ask the instructor to either find another title you can license or presuming the title was released actually scheduling a screening in a class (The HORROR). As the aborted fiasco involving google books ( in particular the project with Univ. of Michigan) showed just because you can't find the author of a book does not mean they are not out there or that it is OK to stream it even if you can't find them. Is it the practice of a library to make copies of out of print books for every student who needs one or to digitize and put online for classes any novel, textbook etc that is out o print?
Obviously I have no idea what kind of film(s) you are referring to, as far as feature films go, I would say 99% of them can be tracked down ,but you may need to spend a chunk of change to hire an expert to do it. I am curious how you (or others) would handle the situation where you do reach the filmmaker/rights holder and they say no. Is it OK then to just stream their film? Instructors have to accept that not every film ever made will be available for use in their class. I assure it is believe it or not even more difficult on the distributor end. You can not imagine what goes into acquiring and maintaining rights to films. Personally I would love for certain filmmakers & rights holders to get their "comeuppance" and have their works illegally streamed because they are too greedy or stupid to license them, but the collateral damage is pretty much the end of indie film distribution and production ( in which I include the vast majority of foreign feature films at least for distribution in the US) On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 3:43 PM, Helen P. Mack <[email protected]> wrote: > I swear, this whole streaming thing is enough to make me want to retire > early! > > If we are interested in streaming an entire film, what are we supposed to > do when the source (filmmaker, production co., whatever) has only an online > presence and is so small that their website indicates no phone # or real > email address? I can message them through their website, but if there is > no response, then what? Stop and do nothing, even though we have a summer > session course beginning in a couple of days? I don't think so. > > We want to do things the right way, the legal way, but if there is no one > to deal with, then all I can do is print out my queries as evidence that I > have covered my a-- and then we proceed on our own. And if someone out > there in the world comes forward and is upset, then I say, "Fine, PLEASE > let us give you some money." What alternative is there? > > Maybe these little companies should turn over the business side of their > operation to some larger entity (e.g. Action! Library Media Service, > Midwest Tape, or someone of that ilk) who can operate efficiently. > Comments? > > On 5/16/2012 12:30 PM, Dennis Doros wrote: > > Roger, > > I would still say based on Judith's assessment and looking over a little > of the decision and the opinions, that Jessica is correct in saying that if > 100% of a copyrighted material is put up on a University streaming site > where the rights are readily available, then there is no part of this > decision that would say it's permissible. And I do believe Jessica is right > that there are many institutions that are allowing this to happen. > > I would like to remind one and all that we are ALL colleagues in the > educational field and any direct or indirect insults from anybody on this > listserv is uncalled for. With Gary heading off to sunsets on the beach > drinking single-malt scotch after rum toddy chasers (Gary, I'm sure you're > going to correct me on this!), we should be even more civil. > > And as we are an audiovisual crowd, I like to link my suggestions to > videos. Here's today's suggested > view<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKGjOE_7bYI>. > And please note, this clip is less than 10% of the feature film. ;-) > > Best regards, > Dennis Doros > Milestone Film & Video/Milliarium Zero > PO Box 128 / Harrington Park, NJ 07640 > Phone: 201-767-3117 / Fax: 201-767-3035 / Email: [email protected] > Visit our main website! www.milestonefilms.com > Visit our other websites! www.comebackafrica.com www.yougottomove.com > www.ontheboweryfilm.com www.arayafilm.com www.exilesfilm.com > www.wordisoutmovie.com www.killerofsheep.com > > Support "Milestone Film" on > Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milestone-Film/22348485426> > and Twitter <https://twitter.com/#%21/MilestoneFilms>! > See the website: Association of Moving Image > Archivists<http://www.amianet.org/> and > like them on > Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Association-of-Moving-Image-Archivists/86854559717> > > AMIA 2012 Conference, Seattle, WA, December > 4-7!<http://www.amiaconference.com/> > > > On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 12:03 PM, Brown, Roger <[email protected]>wrote: > >> Thank you Judith. It looks like you read the entire decision (at >> least, wait for it... the good parts) and understand the specifics and the >> exceptions of this particular decision. >> >> Each case is only more case law, not (so far) a definitive decision on >> fair use. Well-reasoned analyses with a minimum of typographic errors are >> always welcome. >> >> >> - - >> >> Roger Brown >> Manager >> UCLA Instructional Media Collections & Services >> 46 Powell Library >> Los Angeles, CA 90095-1517 >> office: 310-206-1248 >> fax: 310-206-5392 >> [email protected] >> >> >> From: "Shoaf,Judith P" <[email protected]> >> Reply-To: <[email protected]> >> Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 12:42 PM >> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: [Videolib] Permissible amounts in fair use >> >> I once took that personality test online and it said I am most like >> Lucy in Peanuts. My husband, who is most like Schroeder, doesn’t let me >> forget it. Nickels welcome. >> >> >> >> Judge Evans talks about the Kinko’s and Michigan Documents cases, and >> disagrees about the “good parts” argument. In only one of the cases she >> considers does she say that the excerpt constituted “the heart of the >> work.” I’m not sure whether this is because a plaintiff argued it or it was >> her own analysis. >> >> >> >> NB she looks at 74 cases, of which 27 fail the prima facie copyright >> violation test because either the plaintiffs were not able to show they had >> the rights, or else the excerpt was never accessed by students (e.g. the >> course was cancelled). So there are 47 cases where she looks at fair use. >> In 100% of them she considered that the library providing free access to >> the excerpts (factor 1) strongly favored the defendants, and that the >> nature of the works (scholarship relevant to the courses) favored the >> defendants (factor 2). In the 5 cases where she found violations, factor 3 >> had to favor the plaintiffs (that is, the amount had to be more than >> “distinctly small”) AND factor 4 had to strongly favor the plaintiffs (not >> only was permission available in a reasonably convenient way, but the book >> in question actually made money on such permissions). >> >> >> >> There is no 10% rule. The rule is that an amount under 10% of a book with >> fewer than 10 chapters, or one chapter of a book with more than 10 >> chapters, is “distinctly small.” So in some cases 5% of a book could be >> more than a distinctly small portion (if it was a huge book with many >> chapters). I suppose that if you had a book with 12 chapters, and one >> chapter took up 20% of the book, that chapter could be used and still be >> “distinctly small.” >> >> >> >> But if the permission is difficult to come by, the amount is irrelevant. >> In 13 cases, factor 3 favored or even (in one case—30% of the book!) >> strongly favored the plaintiffs but the judge found for the defendants >> based on factor 4.. >> >> >> >> I shall now go fly a kite into the kite-eating tree. >> >> >> >> Judy Shoaf >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ____________________ >> >> Good points -- I see another healthy debate on the horizon. Hold football >> for Lucy, hope for the best, rinse, repeat. >> >> >> >> If I'm not mistaken it was the Kinko's case here in Ann Arbor, where some >> of these specific percentages were discussed. I think the prof. had copied >> 30-40% of a book, but the additional argument that had some substance >> centered not so much on the large percentage but that the "good parts" were >> primarily what was copied. "Good parts" > core > substantive argument, etc. >> Qualitative, not quantitative. At any rate, it seems to me that stating >> something as exact as 10% is an effort in futility -- doesn't that miss a >> lot of the point, even though it is one part of the fair use review? >> (disclosure: I have not read even 1% of the decision yet, so I shan't go >> opinionating beyond this little wondering!). >> >> >> >> Randal Baier >> >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic >> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in >> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as >> an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of >> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video >> producers and distributors. >> >> > > > -- > > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > > > -- > Helen P. Mack, Acquisitions Librarian > Lehigh University, Linderman Library > 30 Library Drive > Bethlehem, PA 18015-3013 USA > > Phone 610 758-3035 * Fax 610 758-5605 > E-mail [email protected] > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as > an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > producers and distributors. > >
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
