[A2k] Copyright and Doc Film in the Commonwealth

[Sean Flynn]

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PIJIP and the Center for Social Media release Copyright & Documentary
Film in the Commonwealth: Legal Scholar Reports from Six Countries

April 14, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Sean Flynn, Associate Director, PIJIP

202-274-4157, or sflynn@wcl.americn.edu



PIJIP and the Center for Social Media release Copyright & Documentary
Film in the Commonwealth: Legal Scholar Reports from Six Countries

HTML format:

http://www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/pijip04152009



PDF:

http://www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/pdf04152009

American University Washington College of Law's Program in Information
Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP) and the Center for Social
Media at American University (CSM) are releasing a series of papers by
copyright experts entitled Copyright & Documentary Film in the
Commonwealth: Legal Scholar Reports from Six Countries. The papers cover
the extent of fair use or fair dealing exceptions to copyright
applicable to documentary filmmakers in Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa,
India, Canada and Australia.



The commissioned papers and their abstracts are available here.



The legal scholars who contributed to the reports include Jeroline Akubu
(Uganda), Jeremy de Beer (Canada), Emily Hudson (Australia), Ayodele
Kusamoto (Nigeria), Lawrence Liang (India) and Tobias Schonwetter (South
Africa).



The Legal Scholar Reports are part of a broader project of PIJIP and CSM
exploring how greater understanding and use of limitations and
exceptions in copyright laws can promote the development of documentary
filmmaking in Commonwealth countries. In this first year, the project
commissioned the series of expert reports being released today and also
completed an initial study and meeting on filmmaker beliefs and
practices in South Africa.



To a greater or lesser extent, two favorable conditions apply in many of
the commonwealth countries that are the focus of this project. First,
unlike countries of the civil law tradition, they are broadly committed
to the principle that copyright law should serve public, rather than
private, interest. And second, their foundational legal documents
recognize the principle of freedom of expression, which limitations on
copyright protection exist to enable.



In the meeting on Copyright User Rights and South African Documentary
Film held in March 2009 in Cape Town, PIJIP and two South African
filmmaker organizations - the Documentary Filmmakers' Association and
the Black Filmmakers Network - committed to a plan of action for the
next year of the project. The plan of action includes a call for the
development of a consensus "best practices" document explicating current
rights to quote or otherwise use copyrighted content in documentary
films and a legal advice network for documentary filmmakers on user
rights in copyright law. The meeting followed a period of research on
the actual and perceived barriers that South African Copyright law is
posing to the development of the local documentary film industry,
including through a survey of over 40 local filmmakers.



More information on the project can be found at the PIJIP webpage on
Copyright and International Documentary Film.



The Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP) at
the Washington College of Law

promotes public interest approaches to domestic and international
intellectual property law through advocacy, events and the provision of
legal and consulting services.  PIJIP's activities focus on a balanced
approach to intellectual property and other legal regimes that reward
creators while ensuring broad public access to information and its
products.



American University's Center for Social Media investigates, showcases
and sets standards for socially engaged media-making. They organize
conferences and convenings, publish research, create codes of best
practices, and incubate media strategies. The Center is part of AU's
School of Communication.



The papers are available at:
http://www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/filmmakerpapers