Feb 5, 2009 2:01pm
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Fair Use
EmailWant to keep your content out of the courts?
Let the New Media Minute help you. This episode offers three tips on the Fair Use doctrine, a topic LOTS of producers want to know more about.
You’ll also get the lowdown on a critical shift in the Web video business: both new and traditional producers don’t want to create shows on spec any more.
Distributors and studios such as Break Media, EQAL and Generate say they won’t launch new shows until advertisers are behind them in a sign of the times.
Space Station Flies Over Eastern U.S. at Night 
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Part of the whole problem with all this is the staunch position that the RIAA wants to repeal any and all laws on the books relating to “fair use” including going all the way back to repealing the “Sony vs Paramount” ruling relating to the Betamax and home video record time shifting. Ultimately if they get their way, you will not own any device at all capable of recording sound or video and can only play back on “authorized” equipment. You will no longer be able to make your own home movies because the camcorder can be used to circumvent protected movie content. This is not a joke either. Lots of us are watching the RIAA and MPAA right now and their bigwig lawyers as they lobby Washington for law and rule changes.
Posted by: J Kline | February 5, 2009, 5:33 pm 5:33 pm
Ah, the spec issue. Well, I think it obviously depends on the producer’s product and experience. Let’s face it, a lot of independent producers, like myself, are trying to just get noticed and build a reputation. Produce a quality product. And most times, you HAVE to work on spec in order to do that! I guess the question is, at what point can the independent producer say “I won’t work on spec anymore”? I see it as an investment to bigger opportunities. Then the producer can recoup what was lost. Are we at the point where producing original content for the internet should always come with a price tag because there are too many advertising opportunities available? Questions to ponder….
Posted by: Stephanie | February 6, 2009, 1:08 pm 1:08 pm