The Internet Archive and the Glories of the Public Domain

CassD · Apr 7, 2008

I've posted some links to this site on a few other threads and decided to post a thread about it. The Internet Archive hosts public domain movies, cartoons, shorts, documentaries, etc. Some of the movies are quite good, some are intensley bad, and many are from the beginnings of the era of moving pictures to the 60's (marking, in my opinion, the spanse of Hollywoods heydays, though others might disagree). There are a few Vincent Price flicks, a Betty Hutton one, and some classics like Nosferatu and Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari).

Here's the link to the feature films (links to cartoons and other moving pictures can be found at the top of the screen):
http://www.archive.org/details/feature_films

I would be interested in hearing about what others watch on this site and hearing what people think of some of the movies. Recommendations of movies to watch that are available on the site would be greatly appreciated and I'll make the first one.

Quicksand is a decent film noir starring Mickey Rooney and with an appearance by Peter Lorre as a supporting character. The end was not what I expected, but I really enjoyed the film.

Son_of_Atropos · May 17, 2010

A great site which deserves more recognition. I saw part of the "Little Lord Fauntleroy."

Xavier_Godshore · May 17, 2010

A wonderful site indeed. I got my Buster Keaton education via that site. They have a wealth of his films there.

~ X

AmateisGal · May 18, 2010

I love this site! :eusa_clap

Feraud · May 18, 2010

+1 on the lovin'.

Fletch · May 18, 2010

Why not better known?

Is it because:
a) if it's PD, people think it's no good?
b) ...people think it's low fidelity?
c) you can't put your own stuff up (not very easily anyway?)
d) there's no incentive to tell people, and a few reasons not to (don't want to tip off the copy cops)?
e) it's hard to use unless you're good with a barebones search engine?

AmateisGal · May 19, 2010

Fletch said:
Is it because:
a) if it's PD, people think it's no good?
b) ...people think it's low fidelity?
c) you can't put your own stuff up (not very easily anyway?)
d) there's no incentive to tell people, and a few reasons not to (don't want to tip off the copy cops)?
e) it's hard to use unless you're good with a barebones search engine?

I don't think any of this is under copyright anymore, so that shouldn't be a problem (I could be wrong...).

Fletch · May 19, 2010

True for now. But if the music and film industries continue to squander public relations for potential revenue, fair use and vintage content are just waiting to be snatched back.

BinkieBaumont · May 21, 2010

6a00d8341c2ca253ef00e554033a9f8834-400wi

"I Love this episode of Tallulah Bankheads "The BIG Show" with Guest Gloria Swanson"

http://www.archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Big_Show

LizzieMaine · May 21, 2010

Important to note that most, if not all, of the sound recordings in the Internet Archive are *not* public domain, despite what they claim. With only a few exceptions, no United States sound recordings will be public domain until 2067.

astrang1 · May 28, 2010

Hello,
I have been visiting the archive for some time. It has great old radio shows plus the original Flash Gordon serials.
Hours of endless fun.
Al

BinkieBaumont · May 29, 2010

LizzieMaine said:
Important to note that most, if not all, of the sound recordings in the Internet Archive are *not* public domain, despite what they claim. With only a few exceptions, no United States sound recordings will be public domain until 2067.

"Being 52 one really does not have the time to wait that long"

Feraud · May 29, 2010

LizzieMaine said:
Important to note that most, if not all, of the sound recordings in the Internet Archive are *not* public domain, despite what they claim. With only a few exceptions, no United States sound recordings will be public domain until 2067.

Thanks for that reminder LM!

Fletch · May 29, 2010

And given that most recordings made before WW2 have little or no mass marketability left in them, we can expect that era of our recorded history to remain legally unavailable in any way whatsoever for the next 57 years. Until then it is condemned to be a kind of cultural contraband.

Simply put, if you have a recording made in the US between 1922 and 1972 that the copyright owner has not reissued or granted you rights to, any public performance or circulation of that recording is theft. All because it stays under copyright though commercially unusable.

Under current law, you are in a seemingly ludicrous position: you are stealing something of no value to the owner until it is stolen. The owner has no incentive to grant rights; he stands to make much more money by suing you into penury.

Surely a travesty, and surely why so few dare to engage with or speak up for this music in any way at all. But what each of us does about it, of course, is up to us.

Nighthawk · May 30, 2010

^ Right. One way to look at it is if you drive 1 mph over the speed limit, you are doing something illegal. That's not to say illegal distribution of copyrighted material on the Internet isn't a severe problem. It is.

LizzieMaine · May 30, 2010

Another way to look at it is that illegal distribution of copyright material on the internet removes any possible incentive to reissue that material legitimately, even if the owners were otherwise inclined to do it. Why go to the trouble and expense of remastering and reissuing vintage material when the web is flooded already with shoddy, blippy, hack-"restored" pirate versions, and if a legitimate version were to appear it too would be pirated to death the moment it appeared on the market.

Remember the '70s, when there were plenty of vintage-era LP reissues on the market? "The Complete Joe Blow and his Orchestra, 1933-37" from Bluebird? Tons of quality material available thru legitmate channels -- but that won't happen today because the market's already been ruined for it.

Fletch · May 30, 2010

Of course it could be argued that what killed the market was changes in the record industry and in demographics. Not everything is the fault of individuals (a thesis I'm trying to reformulate for another discussion you and I took part in).

LizzieMaine · May 30, 2010

Fletch said:
Of course it could be argued that what killed the market was changes in the record industry and in demographics. Not everything is the fault of individuals (a thesis I'm trying to reformulate for another discussion you and I took part in).

True -- but you can't escape the fact that wholesale piracy even further undermines whatever reissue market might exist. If even just a few hundred people might be expected to buy a Joe Blow And His Orchestra reissue set, that might be enough to warrant the effort and expense of preparing one, but if the minute it's released it shows up as pirate mp3s, how many of those few hundred Joe Blow fans will bother to spend the money for the legal version if they can just go to some blog or website and download it for free?

Not everything is the fault of individuals. Sometimes it's the fault of a *lot of* individuals.

The Internet Archive and the Glories of the Public Domain

CassD

One of the Regulars

Son_of_Atropos

Banned

Xavier_Godshore

Familiar Face

AmateisGal

I'll Lock Up

Feraud

Fletch

I'll Lock Up

AmateisGal

I'll Lock Up

Fletch

I'll Lock Up

BinkieBaumont

Rude Once Too Often

LizzieMaine

astrang1

New in Town

BinkieBaumont

Rude Once Too Often

Feraud

Fletch

I'll Lock Up

Nighthawk

One of the Regulars

LizzieMaine

Fletch

I'll Lock Up

LizzieMaine

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