What Is Copyright Clearance & How Does it Work for Filmmakers?

As a filmmaker, clearing copyrights through the copyright clearance center (CCC) is something that will almost certainly come up at some point. Clearing copyrights through the CCC represents a unique process for filmmakers. But what is copyright clearance exactly? 

The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) represents a nonprofit organization that was formed in 1977 out of Danvers Massachusetts. It represents a unique organization in which authors and publishers can purchase copyrighted material for their own licensing.

Through the CCC, collective copyright licensing services are provided for corporate use, such as filmmakers for individual use. 

What is Copyright Clearance?

Copyright clearance represents the confirmed authority for a corporation, such as a production company or film studio, to use copyrighted material.

The CCC represents a streamlined nonprofit organization that allows for copyright clearance to be purchased by filmmakers, so that they can use copyrighted material in their own works.

Scope of Copyright Clearance

Purchasing the rights to use copyrighted work is incredibly important. Failure to secure these rights could lead to extensive legal repercussions. However, it’s not always a cut and dry process.

There are usually multiple copyright owners, and many steps that you must go through to use certain copyrighted material. Additionally, the scope for the rights for which you’re seeking to use copyrighted material is also important.

You may consider the following:

• Reproduction rights – This allows you to make copies of the copyrighted work.
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• Adaptation rights – This allows you to create translations or derivative works from the copyrighted work.
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• Distribution rights – This allows you to sell and otherwise distribute copies of the copyrighted material.
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• Public performance rights – This allows you to use the copyrighted work in a play. To act it out, or to otherwise perform the work.
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• Public display rights – This allows you to show the work using a device or to otherwise copy the work to display.
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• Digital audio transmission rights – This allow you to perform sound recording of the work in public.
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• Attribution and integrity rights – This allows you to claim authorship of the copyrighted work and to prevent any potential destruction of the work.

Obtaining Copyright Clearance

So, what is copyright clearance? It’s a process that involves legally clearing copyrights through the CCC. So that you can ensure that you may obtain legal rights to use the copyrighted material in the desired capacity.

Anytime a filmmaker wants to use copyrighted material, they must go through the CCC to check permissions available for the work and to find out how much a license will cost.

The CCC also accepts payment for the copyright clearance. And allows for a streamlined process in which filmmakers can access licenses with ease.

That is, without necessarily taking several other steps to get the proper permissions to use the copyrighted material that they’re interested in.