Just wanted to get it off my chest [making legal AMVs]

CaTaClYsM · Post by **CaTaClYsM** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 2:32 am

I think (haha, me thinking.) that at some point in the future there is going to be a fork in the road, either the anime music videos comunity gets sued by the RIAA and we have no choice but to scatter like roaches in a brightly lit room, or turn it into a legitimate artform. Which leads me to my question.
How about we try finding some way to make some legal AMVs? I don't mean start petitions and change laws (though that would me nice.) Or get together a team or artists (though that would be nicer.)
how about hiring a publicist or someone and tracking down studios and musicians and getting the legal rights to make AMV's? I'm not quite sure yet exactly what comes after that. (selling AMV's isn't something alot of people would find fair or ethical, even with the legal rights.) but I don't know, manybe a US distributor woudl want some AMV's for bonus material on a DVD release or something. I know there is a bunch of stuff that makes this unfeasable and far fetched, but I know that it hypotheticaly CAN be done and that there must be one band, and one studio or licencor that woudl be willing to let us make an AMV.

Castor Troy · Post by **Castor Troy** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 2:51 am

Anime companies don't want to touch us with a 100ft. pole.

Hitori · Post by **Hitori** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 3:00 am

Castor Troy wrote:Anime companies don't want to touch us with a 100ft. pole.

So true!

TaranT · Post by **TaranT** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 3:36 am

Hitori wrote:
Castor Troy wrote:Anime companies don't want to touch us with a 100ft. pole.
So true!

So not true!

A couple of AMV makers have made trailers for said anime companies.

CaTaClYsM · Post by **CaTaClYsM** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 3:51 am

would getting the right to make an AMV need to come from the studio itself or from the US licencor?

AbsoluteDestiny · Post by **AbsoluteDestiny** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 4:00 am

It's just far too complicated to imagine, really.

If the amv was an unchanged version of the song and the footage was JUST cuts and fades then theoretically the anime distributor could gain the rigths to the music and then have rights to your amv for you.

If you so much as change a colour or add a mask then you are making changes that the copyright held by US companies wouldn't cover... so you'd have to go to the source and they arent going to offer rights for you to do this when there is a US licensor of the anime.

So, other than that it would have to be some sort of fair use law that would cover your ass.... and I've no idea how that would work.

There's no obvious way of legitimising amvs that I can see, unless comissioned by a US licensor and using a song they also have rights to.

Nightowl · Post by **Nightowl** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 4:01 am

CaTaClYsM wrote:would getting the right to make an AMV need to come from the studio itself or from the US licencor?

Technically both, if you alter the footage in any way. Regardless, I don't think the idea is realistic... it would be nice, but it probably wouldn't happen, considering how much music rights are.

-N

CaTaClYsM · Post by **CaTaClYsM** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 4:14 am

Well how bout one of the thousands of unlicenced animes? I think a skiled publicicist could tinker out the rights for one of those. Could they?

AbsoluteDestiny · Post by **AbsoluteDestiny** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 4:21 am

CaTaClYsM wrote:Well how bout one of the thousands of unlicenced animes? I think a skiled publicicist could tinker out the rights for one of those. Could they?

They are mostly unlicensed because the license isn't being offered.

Most licenses aren't a question of money, it's to do with the anime studio knowing that offering a license would be a good arrangement. It's thinking like this which historically made the license for shows such as Kodomo no Omocha and certain elements of Macross difficult to obtain... it all comes down to whether the anime company wants to offer the license to the western company.

So, in this instance it would be even more difficult because if a japanese animation studio gave us a licence to make an amv it messes up any possible licensing of that show to a western anime company. It mucks up the relationship and you have rights which would cross over. An anime company is not going to want to do that a) because it's messy and b) because there is no good promotional value in doing it and c) it ruins further uses of the license.

klinky · Post by **klinky** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 4:27 am

No...

I don't think they would want to make a mini-license for each and every AMV for a certain anime. There are so many Trigun AMVs for instance, or heck there are quite a few Azumanga AMVs. Just think if that anime became popular the legal work involved in managing hundres of litte AMVs. Each AMV would have to be up for review.

Getting a Anime license is tough and costly. But the real problem is getting the RIAA to agree to it. They are worse about this than the Anime industry. The anime industry doesn't mind so much because we are promoting anime. The RIAA probably has AMVs at the very bottom of it's list, but I doubt they would like the idea of entire songs being released. Though, if it's just a song and not an entire album, I think people are more likely to buy the album if they like the song.

Licensed or not, it would cost money. I would think thousands to get the rights. AMVs are already costly enuf with software and computer hardware. The rights probably cost more than the software and hardware combined.

Another downside would be once you bring it to their attention that there are AMVs out there. Then they may go "oh what? Wait who ok'd this" and then instead of it being a back burner issue it's now in their face.

Currently, I think there are alot great concerns that will prevent the rather harmless AMV community from going under. Both are pirating. Pirating anime & music harm the Anime industry and to a lesser extent the RIAA( tho the RIAA harms itself more than anything). I can't see them dropping this and suddenly running after AMVs when AMVs are not that big of deal.

~klinky