Colored Movies Ruled Eligible for Copyright
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The Library of Congress, which has jurisdiction over copyrights, ruled today that colored versions of black-and-white movies are eligible for copyright protection as ”derivative work” under many circumstances. The Library of Congress, which has jurisdiction over copyrights, ruled today that colored versions of black-and-white movies are eligible for copyright protection as ”derivative work” under many circumstances. The decision, issued by Ralph Oman, the register of copyrights at the library, was a victory for such companies as Turner Broadcasting, which is making a large investment in coloring old films for television broadcast. Although the decision does not address the moral or artistic arguments about the procedure, it is a setback for actors, directors and producers who have opposed film coloring on those grounds. Congress has been asked to deal with the question of whether coloring films might be blocked on moral or artistic grounds. The Copyright Office will publish its proposed regulation in the Federal Register on Monday, and it will be subject to 30 days of public comment before taking effect. Under Mr. Oman’s ruling, colored versions of movies could receive copyrights if they ”reveal a certain minimum amount of individual creative human authorship and are produced by existing computer-coloring technology,” the Library of Congress said. More : query.nytimes.com |