Dolby Digital Intros

[Karxilas]

Hi again,

Just came home from a festival, where some videos where presented. I noticed that in two or three of them, the Dolby Digital Intro was used! ( This one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yBJM_gghMw ) My question is : Is it legal to use a Dolby Digital Intro just because your sound format is .ac3? I asked one of the creators why they used it. He responsed that his video was rendered in Full HD and his sound was .ac3 ( Dolby ) so he used the intro to show the quality of his sound. That's excactly what he told me. Is it legal? These intros are copyrighted, aren't they?
Or if just your sound format is .ac3 you can legally use these intros?
I'm just confused. If they are really copyrighted, I believe that these videos shouldn't be displayed in the festival.

Thanks

 

[AudioPostExpert]

Not only is using the Dolby intro illegal but so is even using the Dolby logo! And, to go for third time lucky at copyright infringement, they've used a Dolby AC3 soundtrack as well, presumably without a license or clearance for public display. What utter idiots, they have used a compressed, encoded, copyrighted technology when they could have used higher quality, un-encoded, uncompressed 5.1 surround sound, as they do on DCP, for free, no licences or clearances required!!

The festival is pretty stupid as well, I don't expect it to have much of a future and the cinema itself is also running a risk!

In short, my advice to everyone is: Don't use a Dolby soundtrack, Dolby logo or Dolby anything unless you have spoken with Dolby and have been granted or paid for a licence!!!!!

G

 

[Karxilas]

Actually it isn't excactly a film festival. It's something like a competition that I didn't take part in. I was there to watch some videos and have some fun with friends.
But that was my thought too! I was really impressed seeing a Dolby Digital intro in a video made from an amateur filmmaker. Thank you again for the reply AudioPostExpert. I really appreciate it.

 

[Cracker Funk]

Most festivals are like Honey Badger -- they don't care.

 

[Zensteve]

Certain conditions are supposed to be met for using that official-looking DVD icon/image, too, on your DVD artwork. That's probably abused a heck of a lot more than the innapropriate use of the Dolby or THX intro.

Not as much as the fake MPAA rating, before the random indie trailer starts, though.

 

[AudioPostExpert]

Most festivals are like Honey Badger -- they don't care.

All the bigger festivals do though. Dolby actually has a film festival department and directly supports a large number of festivals by providing tech support, audio and picture equipment and calibration. From Sonoma film festival to festivals in Turkey, Toronto, Venice, Berlin, Cannes, all the various Raindance festivals and many others. Even the merest hint of Dolby copyright infringement (sound or picture) and the entry won't even get past the submission stage!

G

 

[directorik]

Many people also use the MPAA rating logo in front of their trailer.
This is a copyright and trademark violation. Many people use the
MPAA rating on their poster or flyer or DVD cover. This, too, is
copyright and trademark violation.

Often people do this to make their project seem more "professional"
but it really makes them look even more amateur. AND they are
violating someones right to copy.

 

[Cracker Funk]

All the bigger festivals do though. Dolby actually has a film festival department and directly supports a large number of festivals by providing tech support, audio and picture equipment and calibration. From Sonoma film festival to festivals in Turkey, Toronto, Venice, Berlin, Cannes, all the various Raindance festivals and many others. Even the merest hint of Dolby copyright infringement (sound or picture) and the entry won't even get past the submission stage!

G

Sounds very reasonable to me. I guess I should have clarified -- when I said "most", I was only referring to the small regional fests that most of us get our films into.