Professor Lerner is quoted in this excellent piece about the Garcia v. Google ruling.
Come Support Fair Use at DMCA Exemption Hearing This Wednesday
Angelenos who care about independent film, come to UCLA Law School tomorrow morning to see us testify in support of our proposed exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act! IPAT students Aaron Benmark and Rahul Sajnani will be joining Jim Morrissette and Gordon Quinn from Kartemquin Films, and Chris Perez from Donaldson & Callif. For more information see this blogpost on the International Documentary Association’s website.
IPAT Helps Draft Amicus Brief
Yesterday, the independent filmmaking world breathed a sigh of relief when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an earlier ruling in Garcia v. Google, the infamous “Innocence of Muslims” case. The case concerned whether an actress who appeared onscreen for five seconds in the notorious anti-Islam film has a copyright interest in the picture. This question is important to filmmakers because it’s often not possible to get a release from everyone in the picture. So the IPAT Clinic participated in drafting an amicus brief in the case, explaining why such a ruling could be devastating to independent filmmakers. And the court listened! “As filmmakers warn,” the court wrote, “low-budget films rarely use licenses…. And filming group scenes like a public parade, or the 1963 March on Washington, would pose a huge burden if each of the thousands of marchers could claim an independent copyright.”
IPAT Speaks at Convening of Archive Houses
On April 29 Professor Lerner will be in New York for the Association of Commercial Stock Image Licensors 2015 Footage Expo. Professor Lerner writes: “I’ll be on a panel talking about ‘Intellectual Property on the Move,’ in particular the problems that filmmakers and producers face when creating projects that use a lot of footage. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss the issues with some of the best legal minds in the country, including Anne Atkinson, Cathy Carapella, Jay Fialkov, Bob Stein, and the one and only Matthew White.”