are movie trailers copyrighted?

[JIMBO]

Just wondering whether movie trailers have the same copyright as the movies themselves.Can you copy them reencode them and distribute them or post on the web?It seems crazy to me that some trailers have copy protection.Surely the movie studios want as many people to see them as possible!Share some of your thoughts with me.CHEERS,JIMBO.

[adam]

They do not have the same copyright as the movie, they have a separate copyright and must be done separately in order to be valid. Virtually all trailers are copyrighted that are released today but the law states that if there is no copyright notice on the trailer, then it is considered public domain. This rarely happens though. Check the fine print at the end of the trailer, usually at the very bottom.

For the most part trailers from movies released before 1964 are not copyrighted. That was when they started requiring separate copyrights and they granted the owners a period of 28 years to file. Most didnt bother and now its too late.

I know it sounds kinda greedy to just copyright everything but think about it. If it wasnt copyrighted then whats to stop you from downloading a trailer, adding some porno to it and distributing it on the internet, falsely representing the actual movie. Also movie companies have a target audience for their trailers. Even though its free advertising, the makers of an R rated film dont particularly want underage kids viewing their trailer because it generates negative press.

Even if a trailer is copyrighted that doesnt necessarily mean you cant distribute it though. The terms of the copyright are different from movie company to movie company and even from film to film. From what I've read Disney seems to be the most protective of its trailers.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: adam on 2001-10-05 01:20:54 ]</font>