When do film rights expire

The legendary Telugu screen icon had acted in close to films in his career, many of which are now out of copyright. So, to say he is ours is unfair. But monetarily, I think it is his producers who should benefit from the films — the right should rest with them, their families or whoever they will it to. A producer is always the first one to put the money and last to get it back. He takes the losses when they are there.

Maybe my grandfather was compensated aptly for being a star. Yarlagadda is trying to get in touch with producers and their families to see if anything can be done to rectify the situation.

The law is pretty archaic and irrelevant, to be honest. If the year period is indeed extended, it will not only benefit film families but also companies such as Shemaroo, which has invested in digitisation and distribution. Typically, Shemaroo acquires titles from producers after scrutinising previous deals. A value is attached to the medium of usage, the duration of the contract, and the territory.

An extension of the year limit could mean a change in the revenue potential for companies like Shemaroo. There are multiple aspects to the idea of extending the copyright period. One of them is giving people the incentive to invest in a film or keep the quality of content in a good shape. At the same time, Shemaroo has tapped the monetary potential of movies that are out of copyright. Does Gada have to have conversations with producers before doing so?

The way the copyright act is drafted or worded, after 60 years, anyone can monetise the film. The challenge is the availability of source material, because I can only monetise if I have access to the source material. And that is a challenge because you are talking of older black and white films. Those films are not always in the best of shape.

An extension in the year cap could make matters difficult for film scholars, archivists and students. The archive only gets non-commercial rights, which means that the movies can be screened only for educational purposes. The no-objection certificate does not always placate family members.

Ownership can also vary depending on factors such as employment, licensing agreements. Where there is more than one person responsible for making the film, copyright will be shared equally. Copyright in a television broadcast but only the broadcast, not the underlying film will be owned by the broadcaster, i. The copyright owner of a film will only own copyright in the moving images and sounds of the film. They will not necessarily own copyright in the underlying works included in the film such as the musical soundtrack or score or the screenplay.

Copyright in the underlying works will generally be owned by their creators unless there is an agreement assigning or transfering copyright. See Ownership of Copyright for more information. Copyright owners of films hold the right to perform or screen, reproduce or communicate the film. Copyright owners of television broadcasts hold the right to make copy a film of the broadcast, rebroadcast or communicate the broadcast.

Performers or actors in films and broadcasts will also have performer's rights in their performance. For more information, see Rights of Copyright Owners. This article is from the online course:. Join Now. News categories. Other top stories on FutureLearn. Category: General. We take a closer look at media literacy and what makes it so important in …. Register for free to receive relevant updates on courses and news from FutureLearn.

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