Comments on: Is it legal to show public domain movies from a DVD? http://www.rolanddlc.com/172/is-it-legal-to-show-public-domain-movies-from-a-dvd/ I like it... so shut up! Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:18:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: gomanyes562 http://www.rolanddlc.com/172/is-it-legal-to-show-public-domain-movies-from-a-dvd/comment-page-1/#comment-214 gomanyes562 Sun, 21 Oct 2007 05:05:02 +0000 http://www.rolanddlc.com/172/is-it-legal-to-show-public-domain-movies-from-a-dvd/#comment-214 There are very few public domain movies in existence. Copyright in the US generally lasts 75 years, and the film industry has barely been around that long. If a movie is in the public domain for some reason, then publishers often adapt the movie and copyright the adaptation. For example, they may remaster the color or touch up the soundtrack to eliminate noise, and then copyright the changes they made, effectively preventing you from showing the movie. There are very few public domain movies in existence. Copyright in the US generally lasts 75 years, and the film industry has barely been around that long.

If a movie is in the public domain for some reason, then publishers often adapt the movie and copyright the adaptation. For example, they may remaster the color or touch up the soundtrack to eliminate noise, and then copyright the changes they made, effectively preventing you from showing the movie.

]]> By: pepper http://www.rolanddlc.com/172/is-it-legal-to-show-public-domain-movies-from-a-dvd/comment-page-1/#comment-213 pepper Fri, 19 Oct 2007 08:08:45 +0000 http://www.rolanddlc.com/172/is-it-legal-to-show-public-domain-movies-from-a-dvd/#comment-213 If the DVD has a notice on them saying you can't, they aren't public domain. If someone owns the copyright (patent, trademark, etc.) to the work it isn't public domain. You are restricted by the terms allowed by the copyright holder. What is the movie? (And they may have paid the copyright holder for distribution rights.) If the DVD has a notice on them saying you can’t, they aren’t public domain. If someone owns the copyright (patent, trademark, etc.) to the work it isn’t public domain.

You are restricted by the terms allowed by the copyright holder.

What is the movie? (And they may have paid the copyright holder for distribution rights.)

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