The films which are owned or on deposit in the Pacific Film Archive (Berkeley) have been acquired in different ways. There are prints which have been purchased directly from the producers or filmmakers as viewing prints, for which we have agreements permitting public exhibition without paying licensing fees for such use; there are prints which have been donated or deposited on long term loan by the producers and rights holders for which we also have agreements specifying use in our own exhibition program at no extra charge; and there are prints which we have received third hand for which we have no agreements regarding use with the rights holders. In the latter case, it is our policy to investigate the ownership and request official permission should we desire to exhibit publicly. If this investigation reveals that a film is not in the public domain, we request permission for such screenings and if required we pay licensing fees.

By public exhibition we mean screenings which are announced to the public, can be advertised if necessary, and for which we charge admission. Admission to our exhibition program is a necessary source of income to the Archive, but it has meant that we are in most cases required by rights holders to pay some kind of licensing fee, sometimes a flat fee, sometimes a percentage of the box office receipts. Each case is negotiated with the rights holder, and in most cases, the rights holders are requesting less than what we would pay if we were renting a print from a distributor. There are instances in which the rights holders waive fees, as well. We have found that negotiating in good faith with rights holders does not jeopardize the existence of prints in our collection which came to us third hand, and our experience with rights holders who donate or deposit prints is that they are agreeable to reasonable public use of prints without compensation. Negotiating has always been the key word: it encompasses the establishment of trust between archive and owner, respect for ownership and respect for the archive's educational and non-exploitative use of said material.

Obviously it would be beneficial to all of us if we were exempted from paying licensing fees. However, within the U.S., film studios, producers, distributors take a very hard line on the issue of screening their films where admission is charged. They do not on the whole recognize the distinction between profit and non-profit screenings. For this reason some institutions do not, as in our case, charge directly, per program, but rather have indirect charges by virtue of admission to the museum as a whole, or by prepaid membership. In the latter cases, rights holders are more sympathetic and willing to waive licencing fees.

Clearly, any donation or deposit from a rights holder should be accepted with an understanding of use; the Pacific Film Archive requires a written agreement that includes the possibility of public exhibition. In many cases, these agreements have some limit on such use: the number of showings per year, for example. We have been fortunate in establishing a use plan in theses instances which is fair and equitable to both parties. These contracts do not apply, however, to loans or use of material off the premises. Finally, we have to face that the film industry in the United States is not united in its support of archival activities; we are still struggling for recognition of the educational value of our exhibition programs, not to mention collecting for preservation.

Edith Kramer

C'est la question que se pose Edith Kramer au Pacific Film Archive, en apportant quelques réflexions fondées sur l'expérience acquise à la tête d'une institution associée à la FIAF. Pour les copies de films achetées ou reçues en dépôt des ayants droit ou de leurs représentants, la question des droits est généralement réglée lors de l'acquisition. Le problème se pose en revanche lorsqu'il s'agit de films déposés par des tiers et qu'aucun accord n'est conclu avec les ayants droit. Dans ce cas, le P.F.A. entreprend la recherche des ayants droit. Si celle-ci révèle que le film n'est pas tombé dans le domaine public, le P.F.A. sollicite l'autorisation de montrer l'oeuvre en séance publique et, le cas échéant, procède au paiement des droits. Le mot-clé pour l'application de ces principes demeure toujours la négociation. Il serait certes avantageux pour les archives que les ayants droit renoncent à la perception de leur dû lors de la programmation de films déposés mais il faut aussi se rendre à l'évidence: le soutien que l'industrie cinématographique des Etats-Unis accorde aux actvités des archives n'est pas unanime.

Les archives de ce pays sont toujours en lutte pour l'obtention de la reconnaissance du rôle éducatif de leurs activités par le secteur commercial de la cinématographie.

¿Deberian las filmotecas afiliadas a la FIAF negociar los derechos antes de proyectar una película? Un punto de vista desde Estados Unidos.

Esta es la pregunta que se hace Edith Kramer del Pacific Film Archive, al exponer algunas reflexiones basadas en su experiencia al frente de una institución afiliada a la FIAF. Para las copias de películas adquiridas o cedidas en depósito por los titulares de los derechos o por sus representantes, el tema de los derechos generalmente se gestiona en el momento de la adquisición. El problema surge en el caso de películas depositadas por terceras personas sin que previamente se haya llegado a un acuerdo con los titulares de los derechos. En este caso el Pacific Film Archive emprende la búsqueda de los derechohabientes y, en el caso de que la película no haya pasado ya al dominio público, solicita la autorización de la proyección pública, o, si es necesesario, procede a pagar los derechos correspondientes. La palabra clave en estos casos es siempre negociación. Seria muy ventajoso para las filmotecas que los titulares de los derechos remunciaran a percibir sus tarifas cuando se trate de películas cedidas en depósito, pero, evidentemente, el apoyo de la industria cinematográfica estadounidense a las filmatecas no es siempre unánime. Las filmotecas de Estados Unidos mantiene una lucha constante para obtener del sector comercial cinematografico el debido reconocimiento al papel educativo de sus actividades.