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Poster: Mystic550 Date: Dec 2, 2010 3:51pm
Forum: feature_films Subject: Illegible or Small Notice Can Make Copyright Invalid - Films Before 1978

I had commented in another post when it was mentioned about a notice being so small it could not be read. I found this at the USCO site. So I would say if you have film with good picture quality and the credits are sharp, crisp and easy to read on a wide screen monitor or wide screen TV and the notice can't be read then it is invalid according to the law below. Code of Federal Regulations: Section 202.2 (b) Defects in notice. Where the copyright notice on a work published before January 1, 1978, does not meet the requirements of title 17 of the United States Code as it existed on December 31, 1977, the Copyright Office will reject an application for copyright registration. Common defects in the notice include, among others the following: (8) A notice is illegible or so small that it cannot be read without the aid of a magnifying glass: Provided, however, That where the work itself requires magnification for its ordinary use (e.g., a microfilm, microcard or motion picture) a notice which will be readable when so magnified, will not constitute a reason for rejection of the claim; http://www.loc.gov/cgi-bin/formprocessor/copyright/cfr.pl?&urlmiddle=1.0.2.6.2.0.173.2∂=202&section=2&prev=1&next=3 In the link the post is adding a semi colon before urlmiddle. Remove that semi colon to paste the link in your browser
This post was modified by Mystic550 on 2010-12-02 23:51:43

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Poster: skybandit Date: Dec 2, 2010 8:28pm
Forum: feature_films Subject: Re: Illegible or Small Notice Can Make Copyright Invalid - Films Before 1978

Keep in mind that most movies are designed to be shown on the silver screen, not 17" TV's. Just because you can't read it on your tube doesn't make the notice invalid. If you can't read one on a made-for-television movie, then you've got a case.

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Poster: billbarstad Date: Dec 2, 2010 4:21pm
Forum: feature_films Subject: Re: Illegible or Small Notice Can Make Copyright Invalid - Films Before 1978

Thanks for another copyright loophole to tuck away if I ever come across an instance of it. I have seen notices that were barely legible, where I had to guess at what particular characters were. Appreciated!