Dr. Sikand’s discussion of her documentary on PBS led me to another PBS documentary, Copyright Criminals (2010). This film discusses many of the topics we have covered in class, such as fair use and sampling. The filmmakers, Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod, said in an interview that, “this movie could not have been made and distributed without a legal doctrine called fair use.” While a film like this has the potential to be educational and useful, is it fair that multiple recording companies were not paid for the use of their songs in the documentary? Do you think that there should be a different standard for documentaries and big-budget Hollywood films?
It does seem a bit unfair that the recording companies are not getting compensated for their work, where in most other cases they clearly would have to be. As for different standards, these should not exist. Large producers should not be allowed to be above the law and ignore the rules everyone else has to follow. Likewise, small independent filmmakers should not be exempt from the rules simply due to a lack of finances. In order for there to be just laws, double-standards cannot exist.