Yesterday IPAT Clinic client Authors Alliance launched a beta version of their Copyright Termination of Transfer Tool as part of Open Access Week, together with Creative Commons. United States copyright law allows for authors to reclaim the copyrights to their works approximately thirty-five years after signing them over to someone else. Every day, numerous works become eligible to have their copyrights returned to the original authors, in a process called “termination of transfer.” Often these works have gone out of print or become hard to find, and so termination represents an opportunity to make countless works available that would otherwise languish in obscurity. But the provision that makes termination possible is extremely complicated, with harsh deadlines and difficult factual questions. With the Termination of Transfer Tool, Authors Alliance seeks to educate authors about how these provisions work. Take a minute to check out the public beta, and feel free to spread the word. Most importantly, please let us know what you think!
IPAT Gets Real
This week, UCI IPAT Clinic students Rob Winson, Christopher Seah, and Spencer Cross, together with IPAT Clinic director Professor Jack Lerner, attended the Getting Real ’16 conference in Los Angeles. Getting Real ’16, organized by long-time IPAT Clinic client International Documentary Association, is a unique gathering of filmmakers and industry professionals that brings the documentary community for three days of keynotes, practical workshops, and dynamic presentations. On day three of the conference, Professor Lerner participated in a panel discussing fair use and filmmaking.
For more updates and insights into Getting Real ’16, see http://www.documentary.org/gettingreal16/docsgetreal.
IPAT Participates in US Copyright Office Roundtable on Improving the DMCA Rulemaking Process
On May 25, IPAT participated in the United States Copyright Office’s Section 1201 Study roundtable in San Francisco, discussing ways in which the Office can improve the lengthy and burdensome DMCA rulemaking process. IPAT Clinic Director Jack Lerner appeared on behalf of the International Documentary Association, Film Independent and Kartemquin Educational Films, and advocated for the changes included in the Initial Comment that we submitted to the Register of Copyrights in March as part of the Office’s Section 1201 Study. He also addressed the further recommendations, clarifications, and responses to other initial commenters included in the Reply Comment that we submitted in April, in which the International Documentary Association, Film Independent and Kartemquin Educational Films were joined by Independent Filmmaker Project, Indie Caucus, The National Alliance For Media Arts and Culture, New Media Rights, and Women in Film & Video.
The Copyright Office staff asked many probing questions and, having participated in previous rulemaking proceedings, we appreciate the opportunity to share our insight and experience with them. You can read more about the Clinic’s efforts on behalf of the International Documentary Association, Film Independent, Kartemquin Educational Films, and many others to improve the Digital Millennium Copyright Act here.
International Documentary Association Surveying Participants for Getting Real 2016 Conference
Long time clinic client the International Documentary Association will be hosting the Getting Real 2016 conference in Los Angeles on Sep. 27-29. This conference is an opportunity for filmmakers, industry, academics, and students to gather and confront the critical issues facing the documentary community.
The IDA has released a survey to plan the conference agenda and gather some baseline data on the state of the documentary field. Please take a few minutes to take this survey and offer your experiences so the IDA can create a unique experience for all participants at Getting Real 2016.
Sands of Silence Seeks Support for Outreach and Distribution
The UCI Intellectual Property, Arts, and Technology Clinic is pleased to announce that our client’s film Sands of Silence has been completed and is securing support for outreach and distribution. The filmmaker, Chelo Alvarez-Stehle, has worked for many years to create a documentary inspiring survivors of sexual violence to speak out and share their stories.
She is currently launching a campaign to raise distribution funds for the documentary, and the money raised will make it possible to bring Sands of Silence to audiences around the world. It is important to spread awareness of the issue and end the shame that surrounds survivors of sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking.
It would be great if you could take a minute to go to this link to support and learn more about this wonderful film.