When Copyright Goes Copywrong
The rigid nature of copyright law during the early years of the film industry created a surprisingly robust cottage industry around public domain films.
This piece is adapted from a recent piece on Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet. Here’s the original version.
Today in Tedium: When horror movie icon George A. Romero died earlier this year, it should have started a copyright expiration timeline for his most famous and influential work, the 1968 classic and Halloween icon Night of the Living Dead. But something really scary happened to the film before it became a hit: Due to a last-second title change and a distributor error, the former Night of the Flesh Eaters fell into the public domain upon its release. What caused these types of problems — and how has copyright adapted since? Today’s Tedium ponders the accidental public domain film — and the accidental culture it created. — Ernie @ Tedium
