Re: broadcast speech

From: Bob Stock <bstock[_at_]ucla.edu>
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 14:54:28 -0700

On 4/27/98, Timothy Arnold-Moore <tja[_at_]mds.rmit.edu.au> wrote:
>
> Bob Stock <bstock[_at_]ucla.edu> wrote:
> >
> > I assume you're still talking about the same speech. If so, then the
> > words were authored by the officials, and no copyright in those words
> > can belong to the broadcaster.
>
> I recognize this argument and probably lean towards it but couldn't
> the argument be made that the author is the one who reduces the work
> to material form therefore the author of a broadcast speech (which is
> presumably recorded either in video or audio, digital or analogue) is
> the one who actually records it.

(dealing with US law only)

It would be a silly world that gave copyright ownership to the person who physically recorded the creative work rather than the actual author of that work. Section 102(a) says that copyright subsists in original works of authorship that are fixed. Section 101 defines fixation as occurring "by or under the authority of the author."

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Bob Stock <bstock[_at_]ucla.edu>
UCLA School of Law '98
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/1206/

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Received on Mon Apr 27 1998 - 21:53:28 GMT