I apologize if this question has already been asked in the past on this list. We are planning a public screening event of "It's a Wonderful Life" (Frank Capra, 1946) on campus in a few months, and since it doesn't seem to fall under Swank's jurisdiction, I'm not sure where to find the public performance rights for this film. The film's Wikipedia entry suggests it might be in the public domain since the copyright was mistakenly not renewed in the late 1960s, although the estate of Philip Van Doren Stern, who wrote the story the movie is based on, has contested current distribution without a fee.
This will be a library-sponsored event, so I'd like to make we cover this. Thanks for any insights! best, Elizabeth ******* Elizabeth Peterson Humanities Librarian and Curator of Moving Images University of Oregon Libraries Eugene, Oregon 97403-1299 [email protected] 541.346.3047
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.
