MovieChat Forums > The Secret Circle (2011) Discussion > Raven's Corner: Amend the Copyright Act

Raven's Corner: Amend the Copyright Act

posted 10 years ago by RavenGlamDVDCollector
1 reply | jump to latest

[email protected], in his continuing crusade for the release of several 'forgotten' TV series on DVD, has a radical suggestion: If your property remains abandoned, your right to copyright protection on that title should be revoked after five years. Maybe the fat cats will then think twice before damning their property to unreleased DVD obscurity, as hungry circling sharks will close in with marketing strategies that might see 'forgotten' titles on video shelves.

Case in point: THE SECRET CIRCLE. If this cannot be successfully marketed by current right-holders, then let there be an opportunity for new endeavors.

Personally, I believe that if you cannot sell THE SECRET CIRCLE in a video store, you most likely won't even be able to sell pancakes dripping with gooey syrup on a cold winter's day!

[–] itsknotfair 10 years ago

Some shows are simply too expensive to release on DVD and it takes a long time to be able to get the licences for music etc. Other times they still have their show in syndication and have no interest in putting resources into home media. I agree they should release things whenever they can, but companies shouldn't lose their rights to something just because they choose not to release it. Maybe they no longer wish to be associated with it.

The CW are kind of jerks when it comes to this, and almost never release their canceled shows to DVD. It's like a sort of punishment. It sucks. They should at the very least release their back catalog on Netflix, but they don't always do that either.

That being said, it's become common practice to release even canceled series on DVD. All networks, studios, and production companies should follow suit.