Why is this motion picture created for purposes of copyright law in the United Kingdom?

February 26, 2009 7:01 PM

Why do movie credits always contain the line "This motion picture was created by <company> for purposes of copyright law in the United Kingdom"?

I live in the UK so it took me a long time to realise that we didn't get special versions of the credits containing this line. USA credits have the line too. What's special about the UK that requires this line?

posted by Mwongozi to Law & Government (5 answers total)

Perhaps some of the music has changed, due to the vagaries of copyright law and licensing and so forth.
posted by turgid dahlia at 7:28 PM on February 26, 2009

Response by poster: Except that you see this line even when watching American movies in American theatres.
posted by Mwongozi at 7:42 PM on February 26, 2009

I'm not an expert, but UK copyright law recognizes a "moral right" of a creator to be designated the author of a book, film, video, etc.; my presumption is that the statement is intended to ensure that the production company, rather than the director/screenwriter/whatever, is legally the creator and holds any moral rights.
posted by brianogilvie at 8:19 PM on February 26, 2009

Probably something to do with the Work for hire doctrine. That doesn't distinguish it from US law per se, but maybe the UK has some kind of notice provision that requires it to be placed in the credits. Maybe it's just a convention. I am not a UK intellectual property lawyer.
posted by rkent at 12:14 AM on February 27, 2009

It's for assertion of moral right or droit moral, which does not exist in U.S. law.
posted by joeclark at 5:51 PM on March 3, 2009