[Upd-discuss] Van Helsing

[Mlfveer@cs.com]

Hi,

I am fairly new to this list, and I am not sure if this is the proper discussion area for this issue, but I wanted to get some input. One of this Summer's biggest movies is 'Van Helsing.' Van Helsing is, as most of you may know, based on Bram Stoker's Dracula world, and is firmly in the Public Domain. The movie takes the character, changes his first name and builds the story around Van Helsing battling various bad guys. To me, this is why the Public Domain is so important. Anyone can build on top Stoker's creation, and thus create new material for the future. Its really a credit to Stoker and his original ideas.

Jack Valenti (MPAA) has said that the Public Domain is worthless, but Hollywood sure does use the PD for a lot of stories.

MLF