How does fair use work in an international context?
Your project will be governed by the copyright law of your nation when distributed in your nation. For international distribution there are different issues. Fair use is a uniquely American right, although all copyright regimes have some exemptions that keep copyright from being private censorship. What is accepted as fair use within the US may indeed not fall under accepted copyright practice in another regime, e.g. the EU. This is something that is driving anyone who works in coproduction or in international distribution crazy at the moment. Some filmmakers are talking about doing research in the EU environment on the consequences of not being able to use copyrighted material in Europe the way filmmakers can in the U.S. But it’s just beginning. Filmmakers met in Rome and came out with a declaration to begin this process. We are excited to see what EU filmmakers come up with! Meanwhile, other regimes are showing great interest in fair use. Canadians are in the process of reinterpretin
