1999 Copyright Policy
In August 1999, Elizabeth Daley, the Dean of the School of Cinema-Television met with Cornelius Sullivan, Vice Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for the University of Southern California in August of 1999 to discuss and clarify the University's position regarding ownership of student films and videos.
Note:
Others have arrived well before this USC group of folks to discuss and claify U.S. Copyright Law.1. The framers of the United States Constitution
2. Members of the Congress of the United States
USC New Policy: You, the student, do retain ownership of the underlying intellectual property rights and can develop the ideas from your film or video into feature films, sitcoms, game shows, hand puppets, interactive videos or anything else you can imagine. The University has no ownership or interest in these properties.
Attorneys were in attendance to provide legal counsel
The task was to find a way to exempt the underlying rights in student films and videos without impacting other intellectual properties developed at the University
U.S. Copyright Law Copyright Registration
WRONG: "You, the student, do retain ownership of the underlying intellectual property rights and can develop the ideas from your film or video."
Here is what to do: Register your original Story - Treatment - Script with the U.S. Copyright Office. Then produce a derivative work - a new version. A Short Film version of your underlying work. A movie is just a new version of your work. As Copyright owner of the Story - Treatment - Script your have the exclusive right to make or authorize new versions.
If first you make a short film based on your Story - Treatment - Script and send in a copy of your finished Short Film for Copyright Registration, then yourStory - Treatment - Script and all other cinematic contributions are absorbed into the Copyright for the short film.
Story - Treatment - Script
Send in your written work for U.S. Copyright Registration
In 2008 the USC Cinema Office of the Director of Physical Production ought to provide a guide to U.S. Copyright Registration.
U.S Copyright Registration forms can be downloaded from Copyright.gov |
Elizabeth Daley can jump right past the current Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and any bunch of University Attorneys
New USC Cinema film students can come along for the real, lawful U.S. Copyright Law ride as well simply by USC Cinema offering instruction about U.S. Copyright Law and Copyright Registration for original works of authorship.
New USC Cinema film students can simply look here: Copyright.gov |
Cornelius Sullivan or any future USC Vice Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs has nothing to do with U.S. Copyright Law. University Attorneys have absolutely nothing to do with U.S. Copyright Law.The U.S. Constitution provides for Copyright and is the basis for U.S. Copyright Law
Constitution of The United States of America
Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution, known as the Copyright Clause, empowers the United States Congress:"To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries."The clause actually confers two distinct powers. The power to secure for limited times to authors the exclusive right to their writings is the basis for U.S. copyright law. The power to secure for limited times to inventors the exclusive rights to their discoveries is the basis for U.S. patent law.
Elizabeth Daley
Simply provide instruction of U.S. Copyright Law in USC Cinema courses. It's the right thing to do.
Once USC Cinema film students know something about U.S. Copyright Law and registration of their original works of authorship, USC Copyright Policy for their short films have to comply with the law.
