Dance on Camera Festival 2008 - Special Program

“Yes You Can!”
A free panel and open discussion how “fair use” helps documentary filmmakers and the libraries that serve them meet their cultural missions

Bruno Walter Auditorium, New York Public Library
111 Amsterdam Ave (between 64th and 65th Streets)

Date:  3:30 p.m. Friday, January 4, 2008

Speakers: Copyright Attorney Peter Jaszi
with guest filmmakers Annette Macdonald (JACK COLE: JAZZ, a DFA fiscal sponsored project now in development) and David Van Taylor (GOOD OL’ CHARLES SCHULZ).

Sponsored by the Dance Heritage Coalition hosted by Jackie Davis, Executive Director of the NYPL for the Performing Arts

The “fair use” provisions of copyright law provide a flexible and potentially powerful tool for organizations and individuals whose work furthers significant cultural, educational, and civic missions.  Documentary filmmakers, whose work frequently requires the use of presumptively copyrighted materials, launched a national initiative to arrive at a balanced and informed understanding of how “fair use” could be invoked for their projects.  The Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use was the culmination of the project in November 2005. 

Copyright attorney Peter Jaszi, who advised and facilitated the discussion and consensus-building for the documentary filmmakers, will present the project and discuss the positive developments that have come as the Best Practices statement has been embraced by Errors and Omissions insurance providers and others. 

This session is made possible through the initiative of the Dance Heritage Coalition, which is now embarking on its own project to define “fair use” within the performing arts archival and museum community.  Support for the DHC project comes from the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The “Fair Use” Forum is free and open to the public.  Documentary filmmakers, lawyers for the arts, dance company videographers, educators and researcher, librarians and archivists are encouraged too come listen and participate.  For more information, contact LSmigel@danceheritage.org.  Please put “fair use forum” in the email subject line to ensure your email transcends our spam filters.

For more information about the Dance Heritage Coalition, visit http://www.danceheritage.org

For more information on the Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use, visit http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/fair_use/