Picture America | Sony Betamax Case

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Picture America without pictures of America
A Coalition of Concerned Citizens, Filmmakers and Photographers

Sony Betamax Case
Movies/VHS player U.S. Supreme Court decision [464 U.S. 417 (1984)]
"Noncommercial home use recording was considered fair use,
that access to free public information is a First Amendment public interest served by this use."
This is where the misguided "Personal Use / Commercial Use" government film permit model came from. The court decision was soon misapplied from the Sony case to government regulations on photo/video activity and film permits.
Bad law. Amazing!

Picture America Project
We are seeking to learn and articulate what ought to be done about government film permit regulations that limit the freedom of citizens to shoot still photos and make video recordings across America. With new technology like digital still cameras and video camcorders along with computer software like Photoshop, iPhoto, iBook, iMovie, FinalCut, iDVD, .Mac Web Galleries, YouTube, Blip TV and other Internet and computer technologies the old approach is now outdated. The misguided "Personal Use / Commercial Use" government permit model based on the movies/VHS player U.S. Supreme Court decision [464 U.S. 417 (1984)] is unjust and no longer applicable. Today digital photo/video technology has moved way ahead of the old, worn out "Personal Use / Commercial Use" government film permit process as the blessings of liberty of American citizens are diminished. - from an open letter to a State Film Commission |
Picture New York |
Basically, this [proposed NY City film permit ordinance] opens the door to unlimited police interactions with photographers and filmmakers, because under these proposed rules, if they were passed, basically everyone with a camera, including everyone with a cell phone, would be someone who might have to have a permit to do photography... with all the people out there with cameras, most people are going to be left alone. This is going to give the police license to stop people they want to stop for whatever reason they want. And you can imagine who the likely targets are of that sort of enforcement... People with dark skin, people who look suspicious in the eyes of the police... It's going to be the people who tend to be harassed by the police in other contexts. -- Christopher Dunn

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JOHN LONGENECKER
Directors Guild of America - director member
Online News Association - professional member
National Press Photographers Association - member
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