Category talk:Public domain films

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[edit] Problems with inclusion

I've noticed that a number of films are being added to this category simply because they are available for download at the Internet Archive. As far as I've been able to determine, there is no evidence offered for IA's claims of these films being in the public domain. Many of them seem to be too recent to have fallen automatically into PD. Does anyone have specific information on how IA determines this? Shouldn't we require some kind of verifiable, reliable source for PD claims, just as we do for any other factual claims? ~ Jeff Q (talk) 08:44, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

• All of the films offered on the Archive *are* indeed public domain. Another way to check is to take a look at how many DVD editions are being offered. (Ibaranoff24 16:27, 3 August 2006 (UTC))

Ibaranoff24, even if you owned the Internet Archive, your personal attestation would not be evidence that it is observing copyright law scrupulously, as Wikipedia must. Neither are the quantity of DVD releases of these supposedly PD films. How do you know the rights holders aren't cutting cheap deals for properties that have little commercial value? (A copyright holder still has control of a property's use, even if he can't get a dime for the rights. He must specifically release the property into the public domain.) Wikipedia can't afford, legally, to make assumptions, especially in light of U.S. law declaring that copyrights exist unless they are explicitly yielded, and considering the ruthless application of Digital Millennium Copyright Act to fight an ravenous market for illegal copying. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 15:48, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

What about non-American films? I'm sure there are many non-American films which should be included here. Is there an international law which states certain films are public domain? NorthernThunder 23:54, 17 September 2006 (UTC)