Public domain, PBS, & Rick Steves

[zoobie]

Hey now -
I was watching the PBS Rick Steves' "Travels in Europe" series and wondered how he got around the release of people he clearly displayed in the show. He certainly didn't get permission from 100's of people in each and every episode...tourists walking, performers here and there, artists, tour guides, natives working, students travelling, etc...

Does PBS or Rick Steves have some sort of blanket protection that indemnifies them (like the News) to come back to the States and make a bundle off these unsuspecting people and places? I was under the impression you had to get a release from each and everyone that is clearly displayed...

I shoot a lot of performers myself on outdoor malls and plazas and the like. Each is asked permission then compensated with a 30 minute DVD I've shot. Invariably, there are people clearly in the background as well as the artist in the foreground.

Anyone care to give me their take on "public domain", and selling/distributing?
Thx

[sambat]

There's no expectation of privacy in a public place - I doubt a mall is a public place, inasmuch as you can be escorted off the property at any time and told to stay out.

[jman98]

This isn't really a public domain issue.

I believe that sambat is correct that basically there is no expectation of privacy in a public place. Concerts are filmed from time to time and the audience gets absolutely nothing in terms of compensation if they are visible in the video. It's been a while, but I remember years ago going to a concert that was filmed and the ticket had some sort of statement on it that the concert would be filmed and if you went inside, you agreed to give up any rights and you agreed to be filmed. If you didn't like those conditions, you could ask for a refund.

[zoobie]

I read up on public domain at wikipedia...basically the opposite of copyright, patents, trademarks, etc.

when I watch Rick Steves, I never recognized any of the music because this would be a copyright infringement. I should be careful shooting musicians making sure they aren't playing someone else's song...only originals

the artist is obviously there for exposure...in a public place with no expectation of privacy...street performers, jugglers, clowns, puppeteers, magicians, etc...

I asked a lawyer several years ago and he wanted to sell me indemnity insurance...said people are always contacting major movie studios wanting to be compensated for walking down a street when they were filming the movie...said I needed permission from each and every person that was recognizable in the film

as I'm typing this, there's an ad by Google pushing Rick Steves Europe Videos on the bottom of this page..."Find all of Rick Steves Videos Free Shipping - View Free Clips"...ha ha