So the Spielberg Jewish Film Archive got back to me. I will have to learn more about copyright laws and get back to them because I am still not satisfied. The link has nothing to do with copyrights...
This is the letter:
Dear Mr. Bass,
I understand your concern and it would be a wonderful world if we did not have to have copyright or protection of materials, but the Spielberg Jewish Film Archive exists because we collect money for copyright in order to preserve other films and allow them to be viewed and used by the public. You are correct that the Yiddish version is not available on line, but we do have a copy available in our collection, and if people hadn’t cared to preserve this film, it would have ended up lost, like so many other Jewish films.
Please watch our promotional video to get a better idea of what we do, and why it is necessary for us to protect our copyright claims. http://w3.castup.net/jfa/filmsscreen.asp?ai=148&ar=CMID23331
Also, although you cannot embed our films on your site, you are always welcome to provide direct links to the films, as I have done above.
Sincerely,
Robin Zalben
Librarian
Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
4 months ago
2 comments:
I get intimidated by laws and politics and shit, but this sounds like bullshit if I've ever heard it. It doesn't seem sensible that any company would put reasons for copyright protection in a promotional video, so anything else in the letter by association becomes invalid to me. Obviously as a commercial enterprise (if not why would they need to deal with the copyright laws) they are not actually out to preserve the jewish culture in film, or anything of that nature, rather they are there to make money off of the people like you who actually give a shit and care to carry on the traditions of their culture. This seems to be proof of the democratic spirit of "It's a free country" and capitalist greed for power and possesion sabatoging its own people - they are neglecting ignoring, and depriving other people the right they have as humans to study their past and their heritage; something that canbe a major component of ones finding any real meaning for ones life. Instead they get the attitude that they want things and they want to get them in their own ways, even if that way is self-sabatoging, and revokes the rights of other people to experience their heritage.
I tried to keep that as political and legal as I could, but didn't do a very good job - I gotta learn that sorta stuff...
I need to figure out to what extent the archive does make money. It good that they're preserving films (that would otherwise be lost) but if im not going to be able to see them (unless i go to Israel where the films are housed) they might as well be lost. The promo was a nice video that made me appreciate the archive more, however it did not change the fact that the same archive made it impossible for me to see a yiddish film (ever again?). The way the film was stuck in the email seemed to function more as propaganda than anything else...
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