Ian Betteridge wrote:
On 15/06/07, *Stephen Deasey* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote:
There are two types of programmes: those the BBC owns rights to, and
those it doesn't. One argument against releasing BBC owned programmes
without DRM on the Internet is that it would make it difficult to then
also sell it to Fox, for example.
Yeah, but don't forget that even when the BBC is the producer of a
programme, it is not the sole rights holder. Programmes where the BBC
owns all rights in perpetuity with no residual payments due are very
rare - mostly news, some (but not all) documentaries, and very old
archive footage.
It can be really hard for anyone not connected to the media to get their
head round, but programmes don't have all their production costs set up
front and then nothing beyond that. If a series is rebroadcast, lots of
people associated with it are due additional payments. It's a very
finely balanced system which basically works: without it, almost no
actors would ever make a living out of acting (and remarkably few do
already).
Ian is absolutely correct. It is extremely easy for those outside of
media-land to tell us how we should be running our businesses without
having walked a few miles in our shoes and being exposed to the whole
messy compliancey process.
Here's a case in point that may be pertinent to freeing up content for
use online (remebering that large swathes of content were first
comissioned without even thinking about how the internet may affect
distribution models). Many years ago at a well known newspaper all copy
that was appearing online had to be resubbed by other online-centred
journos as the contracts were not in place to use the original copy on
the website. Effectively this meant that to publish a piece in the paper
and online some journalists would be paid twice. Why? Because their
contracts of employment were written at a time when electronic
dissemination of their work was not thought of.
This has now been resolved but it highlights an issue with making
arhives of data available for which there is no prior agreement and for
which agreement has to be sought or paid for.
Seán
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