The problem you will have is inherent in the contract between the WGA
and the AMPTE. The copyright in a play belongs, barring other
intervening factors, to the playwright. A screenplay, under a Hollywood
arrangement that dates back may years, belongs to the producer. You're
going to have to determine who produced the films in question and
contact them individually.
You might also contact the screenwriters thru the WGA and try to get
them on board (and it's possible that some of them with more industry
clout have retained rights to such performances), but considering a big
part of the strike that is just concluding was over payment to the
writers for non-traditional uses of their work - good luck!
Bob Ryan
Librarian
Hill, Farrer & Burrill, LLP
300 South Grand Ave, 37th Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
________________________________
From: owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu] On
Behalf Of Bryan Carson
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 3:15 PM
To: law-lib
Subject: [LAW-LIB:54709] Screenplay rights
Folks,
I have a question that I'm not sure how to answer. It seems that someone
wants to perform scenes from current feature films. They don't want to
actually perform the films themselves, but rather actors would learn the
scripts and perform them publicly.
To my mind, this is more like performing a play than performing a film.
The performers would need to obtain public performance rights for the
screenplay. However, I'm not sure where to send the library client.
Rights organizations such as Dramatists Play Service, Baker's Plays, and
Samuel French represent theatrical plays, not screenplays. Groups such
as Swank/Movie Licensing USA and Motion Picture Licensing Corporation
represent the finished films but not the screenplays.
Does anyone know where I would send the library client to find rights
information on screenplays?
Thank you very much.
--Bryan M. Carson
-- Bryan M. Carson, J.D., M.I.L.S. Associate Professor/Coordinator of Reference & Instructional Services Western Kentucky University Libraries Author, "The Law of Libraries and Archives" (Scarecrow Press) Ed.D Student, Higher Ed. Leadership & Policy, Vanderbilt University1906 College Heights Blvd. #11067 Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101-1067 Phone: 270-745-5007; Fax: 270-745-2275 bryan.carson@wku.edu
All original content copyright 2008 Bryan M. Carson
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