This is true. My money is on the misunderstanding of copyright law. Someone could send them a copy of Section 108. Not sure how you would word it, but something like "We have decided to make our film available to individuals at a lower cost but we need to maintain a higher price to institutions to make back the money we spend making the film" Not waiting for that though.
I think films whose target market is institutions would be better off not making films available to individuals. If the film is popular enough to get major sales on the home market go for it, but otherwise it just leads to confusion. I am hoping that steaming rights make this obsolete. Public Performance rights are usually of limited value to institutions ( though some may want to show certain films on campus) but streaming rights are something I suspect universities will increasingly need so offering titles at higher price but including those rights might work for both sides providing the pricing is fair to both. On Wed, May 25, 2011 at 10:50 AM, Meghann Matwichuk <mtw...@udel.edu> wrote: > But, they're still propagating misinformation: "[T]he purchase price of > this film for colleges and universities is our list educational price of > $400, which includes public performance rights *so it can be screened in > classrooms*." It's either done with a very incomplete understanding of > the laws that affect their business, or it's intentional misdirection. > Either way it drives me batty. If the 'so it can be screened in classrooms' > had been left off, ok, I get it. Tiered pricing. But slipping those seven > words make me not want to purchase their titles. > > Grumble grumble, > > ************************* > Meghann Matwichuk, M.S. > Associate Librarian > Instructional Media Collection Department > Morris Library, University of Delaware > 181 S. College Ave. > Newark, DE 19717 > (302) 831-1475 > http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/instructionalmedia/ > > > On 5/24/2011 12:55 PM, ghand...@library.berkeley.edu wrote: > > Here's the deal, Laura > > Zipporah (and many others) are not charging high prices because you're > showing stuff in the classroom--they're charging these prices primarily > (exclusively) because they're selling to institutions and they feel those > are the prices the market will bear, including, in Zipporah's case, sales > to individuals. > > Gary > > > > > Here's another case of a filmmaker wanting a large sum for the right to > show films in a classroom - Zipporah Films. In this case I was merely > purchasing a personal copy but they saw my university email address. > Comments? > > Laura J. Ruede, MLS > Assistant Music/Media Librarian; Van Cliburn Archivist > Library Liaison to the School for Classical and Contemporary Dance > Mary Couts Burnett Library > Texas Christian University > > From: Zipporah Films [mailto:ord...@zipporah.com <ord...@zipporah.com>] > Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 8:35 AM > To: Ruede, Laura > Subject: Zipporah Films Order 6501- university purchase? > Importance: High > > > Dear Ms. Ruede, > > > > Thank you for your order of Frederick Wiseman's film BALLET. Since you > listed a school email address, I am writing to confirm whether you are > purchasing the film for home use. If not, the purchase price of this film > for colleges and universities is our list educational price of $400, which > includes public performance rights so it can be screened in classrooms. > > > > I look forward to hearing from you soon so we can process your order. > > > > Thank you. > > > > Best regards, > > > > Kasey Skeen > > Office Manager > > Zipporah Films, Inc. > > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve > as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > producers and distributors. > > > > Gary Handman > Director > Media Resources Center > Moffitt Library > UC Berkeley > 510-643-8566ghandman@library.berkeley.eduhttp://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC > > "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." > --Francois Truffaut > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > > -- Jessica Rosner Media Consultant 224-545-3897 (cell) 212-627-1785 (land line) jessicapros...@gmail.com
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
