Fair Use for Documentary Films

NH Entertainment Lawyer Jon M. Garon's latest Filmmaking 2.0 column is "Fair Use for Documentaries." Writes Garon,

"For documentary filmmakers to accurately depict their stories, they invariably need to rely on copyright’s fair use provisions significantly more than other filmmakers. This is particularly true if the documentary focuses on literary or visual works or incorporates copyrighted materials as background content..."

The column cover fair use basics, then takes a closer look about films whose subject is about media and culture, as well as background content. He also recommends the resources available from American University's Center for Social Media's Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use.

Copyright Basics for Musicians - Copyright Law

Jon M. Garon, an attorney with the Concord, NH, law firm, Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, and professor of law at Hamline University School of Law, has published a new article of interest to musicians. Copyright Basics for Musicians, provides an overview of essential copyright issues that every musician should know. Copyright is an important issue that drives the music business, yet many artists have very little understanding of copyright, and may often rely on knowledge about rules that have changed dramatically in the past quarter century.

To read the article, click on Entertainment Law: Music Copyrights.

Additional books and articles by Professor Garon can be found at www.lawbizbooks.com. He also writes a blog, Entertainment and Entrepreneurship.