'Scary Movie' type flicks

[Ki-Ki]

How do they bypass 'copyright violation'

I'd imagine that if there ripping War of the Worlds, 300 etc they'd need the permissions and such to give the 'ok' to do it?

 

[ATL Media Group]

I don't think they need it if they are making fun or using it as a parody. Now, if they remade 300 and tried to sell it as a new movie then there would be issues.

 

[Ki-Ki]

But aren't they making money off the original Characters, using the same names and basic concept story lines? People go to the cinema and pay to watch it. (God knows why!)

 

[Billy Pilgrim]

I'm not a lawyer, so I don't fully understand it, but I think parody and satire fall into a gray area of sorts.

 

[ATL Media Group]

"Although a parody can be considered a derivative work under United States Copyright Law, it can be protected from claims by the copyright owner of the original work under the fair use doctrine.."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody

 

[ATL Media Group]

But aren't they making money off the original Characters, using the same names and basic concept story lines? People go to the cinema and pay to watch it. (God knows why!)

I think it's covered because otherwise you'd have to fine every comedian who made fun of someone or something. They can poke fun in parody because they aren't profiting from the original story being copied.. they are in fact changing it to make it something new and funny.

 

[kevinottawa]

You also have to watch out what country your in, "Fair Use" for parody is in the USA only, ie in Canada you can't do as much as USA does with parody.

 

[Andrew McCarrick]

But aren't they making money off the original Characters, using the same names and basic concept story lines? People go to the cinema and pay to watch it. (God knows why!)

You can't copyright an idea... and character names and basic plot lines are basically ideas. People would be sueing left and right if you could copyright ideas, because nothing's really original anymore. You change a scene by 20-30% it's basically original at that point.