Resources Copyright cases One-Page Guide to Copyright Law – CopyrightData.com An extensive discussion of why a work might still be in copyright or not with cases and exceptions. Citations and Case Summaries – CopyrightData.com This page hasn’t been updated for a while, but contains a really extensive list of copyright cases. Public domain […]
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Resources All of these resources should either point you to material in the public domain, licensed under the Creative Commons, or material that is Royalty Free or Rights Managed. Please check the license agreements carefully before moving forward with any use of materials. If you have any questions about the legality of your use,
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Resources Books Music Rights Unveiled: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Music Rights and Licensing – Brooke Wentz and Maryam Battaglia Online Sources of Sheet Music, Recorded Music, and Sounds All of these resources should either point you to material in the public domain, licensed under the Creative Commons, or material that is Royalty Free or
Resources All of these resources should either point you to material in the public domain, licensed under the Creative Commons, or material that is Royalty Free. Please check the license agreements carefully before moving forward with any use of materials. If you have any questions about the legality of your use, please consult with an
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Resources Contracts and Clearance Clearance & Copyright: Everything you need to know for Film, Television, and other Creative Content – Michael C. Donaldson , Lisa A. Callif, and Christopher L. Perez Getting Permission – License & Clear Copyrighted Materials – Richard Stim Contracts for the Film & TV Industry – Mark Litwak Downloadable templates in
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Resources As of 2025, works published in the U.S. in 1929 or before are in the public domain. In order to determine if a work is in the public domain or not, typically you can check Wikipedia or do an internet search and just make sure that it was published in the current year that
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Protecting Yourself Since 1978, copyright is automatically granted to any original creative work that is fixed in a tangible form of expression. So, if you create a screenplay or a film in any format (assuming that you created most if not all of the artistic elements), you have copyright. So why go to the trouble
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Protecting Yourself Making an independent film is exciting. You’re creating something wonderful to share with the world, and working with other brilliant people to make your dream a reality. But it’s also full of potential legal headaches. (And possibly also personal relationship headaches.) Here are some tips for security and problem prevention for your film.
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Music is Complex If you are trying to minimize your music budget, the least you could pay for a piece of music for your film is to use either public domain or Creative Commons licensed music. There are very few sources of true public domain music recordings. But there are a decent number of sources
Budget but Beware Royalty free material in the form of photos, film clips, or music is not “free” in the sense of paying no money for use of the material. The true meaning is that royalty free use frees the buyer from paying royalties, or recurring payments, to the content producer. So in the standard
