Bush's new commercial has been getting a lot of well-deserved flack for comparing the Democrats to Hitler (oddly enough while showing a clip from the commercial that MoveOn disavowed). I'll leave it to others to point out the blatant hypocrisy there, but there's one thing odd I noticed : a clip of Michael Moore's infamous Oscar acceptance speech. What makes this so odd is that Moore was unable to get permission to use the clip himself for the Bowling for Columbine DVD. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences usually likes to keep a pretty
tight rein on Oscar clips :
The Annual Academy Awards telecast is copyrighted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Any rebroadcast or other use of the program or any of its contents, except in accordance with the following, is prohibited.
There are only two exemptions : "broadcast programs and services that are recognized by the Academy as news entities" and obituaries for Oscar winners. Any other use is covered under this :
Permission shall not be granted for the use of clips from the Academy Awards Presentation for non-news ventures. Exceptions will be considered under unusual circumstances, and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Academy Board of Governors. An exception, if granted, shall not be considered precedential.
So unless AMPAS made a rare exception to their rules or there's some sort of "fair use" loophole for campaign ads, the Bushies are thieves. (Their use of the MoveOn clip also seems to be in violation of the Creative Commons license)
If you're as concerned about the "rule of law" crowd stealing footage in order to land a cheap shot against liberals, you can turn them in at ampas@oscars.org or (310) 247-3000.
(This was originally posted at The Talent Show)