When Brian Gillogly set out to make his documentary, Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story, which screens on Aug. 14 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, he thought his greatest challenge would be to convince Kathy Zuckerman – the real woman behind Gidget – to cooperate. That was far from the case. Gillogly actually faced his highest hurdle over copyright issues for the "Gidget" television shows and movies. He couldn't afford the licensing fees to use the footage, and believed his project was doomed. That's when Gillogly solicited advice from USC Law's Intellectual Property and Technology Clinic and its director,……
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Lerner’s clinic wins copyright exemption for filmmakers
Faculty Fellow Jack Lerner and his team at the USC Intellectual Property and Technology Clinic has assisted in the creation of an exemption in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) which now allows documentary filmmakers have access to archived footage for "fair use" in their productions. "This is a huge win for documentarians," said Lerner. "Instead of using DVDs, filmmakers were forced to use costly, time-consuming, and technically inadequate workarounds, like taking the footage they sought for their films from VHS tapes. It became increasingly clear that these were not viable alternatives, as such material is either unavailable, too degraded,……
Lerner in Variety article about comic copyrights
"…[M]ore litigation and legal fees for both sides" is what Faculty Fellow Jack Lerner told Variety concerning the possibility of favorite comic book adaptations coming to the big screen. The entire article can be viewed here…….
Lerner Named Faculty Fellow at CCLP
University of Southern California Law Professor Jack Lerner has been named a Faculty Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP). Lerner, who directs the USC Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic, will be involved with research projects and public programs as well as provide guidance to law fellows at the Annenberg Center. He is the first fellow selected outside the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism…….