Category "copyright"

How can I find out if a movie/series is still restricted by copyright?

My understanding is that determining copyright is not always as simple as adding a number of years to the date a movie was first released/a series was first air

Why do studios use Roman numerals in the copyright notice in the end credits?

© Time Warner Studios MCMXCVIII Something like this is almost always used at the very end of the credits creep in movies (and TV shows). But why the cumbe

Does Marvel have full filming rights for all characters in Avengers Multiverse?

In upcoming Marvel film Avengers: Age of Ultron, they are using Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, characters which are Mutants (X-Men). So has Fox agreed for the c

What are the rules regarding usage of non-featured songs in films?

In films like Step Up, Wikipedia shows some songs as featured songs and some songs as non-featured. Even only featured songs appear on their album. So what are

How does copyright work for pre-existing character/work?

Do film studio have to acquire rights for a public domain character or they can use them freely? I mean characters like Hercules, Thor, Social figures or fairy

When does Fox's licence on the X-Men run out?

Is there any evidence of Fox and Marvel coming to an agreement for characters from both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the X-Men franchise

Why Disney/Marvel doesn't have rights for Badoon?

Badoon's story got stripped away from Guardians of the Galaxy film (2014) and Wikipedia say’s Badoon film rights belonged to 20th Century Fox. But how, as

What are the rules regarding usage of non-featured songs in films?

In films like Step Up, Wikipedia shows some songs as featured songs and some songs as non-featured. Even only featured songs appear on their album. So what are

Why do remakes need permission whereas spoofs/parodies don't?

Why do remakes need permission whereas spoofs/parodies don't? Scary Movie consists of lot of spoofs of other movies, yet they didn't seem to have any permissio

Are Movie Stars typically forbidden from appearing in future commercials resembling a played character?

Maybe no one around here would know the answer to this, or maybe it varies wildly, but I'm curious to know whether or not it's typical for movie stars to be for

Can you use a certain song in a trailer, that has been used in a different movie-trailer as well?

I'm making a trailer about a story i've written and wanted to use a song in it from the band Muse. This song has most likely been used in other movie trailers a

Is there any way in which to use cross-over characters from other TV series?

I am writing a pilot for a TV Series, and wondered if it may be legally possible to write in a character from another (relative) series? This isn't it, but for

Do stars of original series get royalties for reboots or remakes?

While this may be a bit subjective, the recent remake of Roots, produced by the original star, Levar Burton, got me to think. Is it common, or even heard of, f

Can I copy the narrative structure of a movie? [closed]

Will there be any copyright issues if I make a short movie with EXACTLY the same narrative structure as the Hollywood movie "Memento", but wit

Are trailers copyrighted or not?

Are trailers copyrighted? Is it allowable to freely use a movie trailer in one's own works or website? Here is a screenshot of an example where they had given

Rights to George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead"

The 1968 American independent horror film, Night of the Living Dead, is (apparently) in the public domain… but the stories of how it got that way range f

How music piece usage rights work in TV vs YouTube?

I have seen many episodes of The Kapil Sharma Show on Sony's YouTube channel and noticed that whenever a song comes, they just mute it and replace it with some

Why tech giants are unable to prevent piracy/cam(rip)?

In India, almost all movies are available on the internet on the same day of their release. The available movies are of camera print (cam rip) quality, which ar

Are scripts seeded to identify leaks?

After reading that the Hateful Eight script was leaked after Tarantino gave it to only three actors, I wondered why scripts aren't customized to help track thei

Did Fox need permission for the 'Spider-Pig' parody in The Simpsons Movie?

In The Simpsons Movie, there's a scene where Homer makes a pig walk on the ceiling while singing a parody of the Spider-Man theme.