Licensing Question

June 18, 2009 7:45 AM

Licensing foreign films for commercial use follow up...

Following up on this question:
How can I go about licensing foreign films (1940-1960s) for a web based commercial?
I have contacted various production companies but keep hitting a wall. Some of the films that are "rights free" are licensed in Europe, but not in the States. We have a few films in mind, how can we proceed?

Thanks!

posted by octomato to media & arts (1 comment total)

You need to speak to the film distribution companies which hold the US licenses for the films you're interested in. See Reel Classics licensing FAQ. It's invaluable.

In addition to those listed on RC's FAQ, here's a list of links to film distribution companies in the US. If a movie's rights are held by NBCUniversal, (a long shot,) try their clips site.

When you contact them: explain what you'd like to do, and see if they're willing to work with you. Simplest explanation: you're looking for a limited copyright license which will allow you to incorporate one or more "clips" from a specific film (or films) into a video commercial which will be broadcast online, over the internet. When a copyright license for multiple films is being granted by a single company, they refer to it as an "umbrella license."

Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. probably doesn't have rights to the movie you're looking for -- their international library seem thin. However, they may be able to refer you to an appropriate contact. I've found them pretty easy to work with when I needed to obtain single-use event copyright licenses.

Contact info:
St. Louis Office:
1-800-876-5577 / 10795 Watson Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63127

New York Office:
1-800-876-3344 / 350 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, Suite 108-C, Hauppauge, New York 11788

Good luck!
posted by zarq at 10:34 AM on June 18