AV News Magazine | Page 52

AV News 175 - February 2009 A Question on Copyright Ralph Bennett ARPS At the recent Great Yorkshire AV day one of the sequences shown included the composers name and details about the music used in the AV. It was stated by a senior member of the AV Group that this was not allowed and breached the music copyright license. I told this to my club the following day, which had an AV night. One of the members rang the Licence authority who after being passed around a number of members was told that this was rubbish and not correct. Does anyone know the truth about this, or where did this info come from. There seems to be so much confusion about copyright music use and which licenses are or are not needed to pursue our hobby. Having checked up on this it is a condition of the BPI Licence (British Phonographic Industry) that 'The names of all instrumental groups, bands, orchestras, choruses, solo artists and/or performers shall NOT be identified in subtitles or credits etc.' So no music details must be shown. As the Licences cost less than £8 per year it is not worth being without. The MCPS and BPI Licence can be purchased by RPS Members or any member of a PAGB affiliated club . IAC Members can also purchase the PPI Licence in addition which ‘covers the live use of recordings played as background during the entrance and exits of audiences and during intervals as an accompaniment to film, video and audio visual presentations that may not have a prerecorded soundtrack’ The IAC Copyright Clearance Scheme web page can be viewed via the Links Page of www.avnews.org.uk Eds Montage from Cirencester Tony Seager ARPS May I congratulate you both on your first magazine. Well done! I was interested in the 'montage' of the Guests at the 18th RPS International (Issue 174 Centre pages). As we all know there is NOTHING new in photography! David Hill and Robert Adamson the well know early Scottish photographers did a similar thing in 1843 when they photographed some 474 ministers and prominent lay persons of the then newly formed Free Church of Scotland. From these photographs they produced a giant painting. As you know Fox Talbot was the inventor of REAL photography before digital was introduced!! Fox Talbot made the 'discovery' at Lacock some three miles from here. He was advised by a local solicitor that patents would not be required for Scotland as they would not be able to understand the complex process. Talbot took his advice and patents only applied to England and Wales. As a result Hill and Adamson were able to use the process WITHOUT paying royalties to Fox Talbot much to his displeasure! Hope you will find this of interest. Page 50