This article could get a bit confusing; it is about the US state of North Carolina changing an anti-piracy law so it could use the internet to copy and share somebody else’s documentary videos… which happen to be about pirates of the nautical variety! US State Changes Law To Steal Pirate Video | Commsrisk (http://commsrisk.com/us-state-changes-law-to-steal-pirate-video/)

Hmm! I found this very interesting.

The Australian government passed a law many years back that gave the Federal Government the right to use any written word, image, audio recording or moving picture image from around the globe in a not for profit production if it deems the use of such material is "... being in the national interest of the Commonwealth."

I found this law unbelievable and came across is when we were wanting to source material for a government documentary. The price being asked for the use of the material was pretty steep and when discussing it with the government legal people they said "Don't worry about it you are legally free to use whatever material you need under Article ### (can't remember the number) without having to comply with any commercial conditions of copyright and there is no legal requirement to meet any royalty payments as it is a not for profit government production."

Go figure. I would have been a bit p****d if it had been my hard earned material. Trust the government? Not always that's for sure.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney