Help Please

jannijanc · Post by **jannijanc** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:47 pm

In 2005 myself and my dog were the subject of a small news clip that appeared on main news channels at the end of, but included in, their
news spots. No others appear in the clip apart from the reporter. I want to use the short video which features me and the dog on Youtube or MySpace. I emailed ITV but got a curt sorry we can't help back. They shot the footage but it was broadcast and I and my dog are featured in it. Do they have copyright on what is essentially a news broadcast and what rights do I have as I feature in it? I thought of blanking out the faces of the presenters? Anyone have a clue if I can class this is public domain news?

Post by **CopyrightAid** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:00 am

The copyright owner of the footage will be the person/company that filmed it. If ITV filmed the footage, they are the copyright owner.

If you reproduce the footage without their permission (even with the faces blanked out) you will be commiting a copyright infringement.

P.S. This term 'public domain' seems to be heavily misused. In copyright terms public domain means that copyright has expired - in the case of film footage, this means:

70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last principal director, author or composer dies.
If the work is of unknown authorship: 70 years from end of the calendar year of creation, or if made available to the public in that time, 70 years from the end of the year the film was first made available.
(source:http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyr ... yright_law)http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyr ... yright_law)

Clearly NOT the case here.

jannijanc · Post by **jannijanc** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:45 am

Thanks for that. It's not what I wanted to hear but it is, deep down, what I felt. I just can't understand why they don't just say OK but make sure you attribute it to us. This was common practice in newspapers and I'm a journo. I just can't believe that things have changed so much that what appear to be absolute idiots are in charge of their rights department. I'm disgusted. I think I'll shoot a copy of the video myself, posting my own reporter and do it from there with an explanation to viewers of ITV's inexplicable stance. I appreciate your reply although it has me wanting to kick something. They didn't have me sign anything, which is unusual. But then it was in 2005 when there was still some semblance of journalism on the channel. What they have now is pure, unbalanced and undisguised propaganda and I'm glad they're having a viewing battle. And I want to use the piece to promote my business.