{"id":3393,"date":"2020-09-01T03:46:17","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T03:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/?p=3393"},"modified":"2020-09-05T20:11:27","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T20:11:27","slug":"audiovisual-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/2020\/09\/audiovisual-work.html","title":{"rendered":"Third edition of USA copyright office compendium \u2013 audiovisual works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What Is an Audiovisual Work?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The Copyright Act defines audiovisual works as \u201cworks that consist of a series of related images which are intrinsically intended to be shown by the use of machines or devices such as projectors, viewers, or electronic equipment, together with accompanying sounds, if any, regardless of the nature of the material objects, such as films or tapes, in which the works are embodied.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Types of audiovisual works include:<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Motion pictures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Arcade games and videogames.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Karaoke displays.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Applications designed for mobile phones and tablets.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Banner advertisements.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Webinars.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Slide presentations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Multimedia kits that have an audiovisual component.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Virtual reality environments.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">There is a legal distinction between the \u201csoundtrack\u201d of an audiovisual work and a \u201csound recording.\u201d The statutory definition of a sound recording specifically states that this category does not include \u201csounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Audiovisual works often include visual art works, namely pictorial and graphic images. Audiovisual works are distinguished from visual art works in that the images in an audiovisual work (i) must be in a series, (ii) must be related, and (iii) must be intended to be shown by the use of a machine or device. Visual art works have no such requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Audiovisual works may include text and a screen display comprised solely of text may constitute an \u201cimage\u201d within an audiovisual work. The statutory definition of a literary work specifically states that this category does not include audiovisual works.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Thus, continuous text, such as the text of a book, magazine, journal, or other literary work appearing on the screen of a device such as a tablet or karaoke machine would not be considered an audiovisual work.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Elements of Audiovisual Works<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Any kind of visually perceptible images, such as photographs, artwork, and text, or a combination thereof, may satisfy the requirement that an audiovisual work contain visually perceptible material. The series of related images may appear on succeeding screens (such as a slide presentation) or as images in motion (such as a videogame).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">A key element of authorship in an audiovisual work is that the images must have some connection to one another and must be displayed as a series. A slide presentation created as a cohesive work, for instance, is a series of images, while a single slide or unorganized group of random slides is not.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">A key element of an audiovisual work is that the images must be \u201cintrinsically intended to be shown by the use of machines or devices.\u201d Such machines and devices include disc and video cassette players, electronic devices that play digital files, such as computers, tablets, and mobile phones, and machines with dedicated hardware, such as videogame consoles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The authorship in an audiovisual work generally is considered a single, integrated work and must be registered as a whole, with the possible exception of a computer program or musical score that was not created with the intention of being part of the audiovisual work. For this reason, the individual elements of authorship in an audiovisual work generally cannot be registered as separate works.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">An audiovisual work may, and often does, include aurally perceptible authorship in the form of recorded words, music, and sounds. Aurally perceptible authorship, however, is not a required element in a copyrightable audiovisual work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The term \u201csoundtrack\u201d refers to the accompanying sounds of an audiovisual work, which may include spoken text, sound effects, background music, or musical compositions. Generally, the soundtrack and the audiovisual work constitute a single, integrated work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">When sounds are present in an audiovisual work, they do not need to be physically integrated with the visual element in order to be considered \u201caccompanying sounds.\u201d Most contemporary audiovisual works contain physically integrated sounds. For example, the soundtrack of a motion picture or the sounds of a videogame are considered integrated sounds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">By contrast, sounds are considered non-physically integrated if the images and the sounds are fixed on separate objects, such as a filmstrip with a separate compact disc containing the narration that accompanies the still images.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Fixation of Audiovisual Works<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">To be protected by copyright, an audiovisual work must be fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Audiovisual works may be fixed in copies and generally they are fixed in one or more of the following electronic or hard copy formats:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Machines, such as computers, tablets, mobile phones, and arcade consoles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Machine readable copies, such as CD-ROMs, hard drives, and flashdrives.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Discs or tapes, such as Blu-ray, DVD, or videotape.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Videogame discs and cartridges for consoles with dedicated hardware.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Server hosted digital files.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Copyrightable Authorship in Audiovisual Works<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">An audiovisual work must contain a sufficient amount of original and creative human authorship to be copyrightable. The visual material, the aural material, and the flow of the work as a whole will be evaluated in determining whether the work can be registered.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">An audiovisual work must originate from the author of that work to be protected by copyright. An audiovisual work that is merely copied from another source is not copyrightable. An audiovisual work must contain a sufficient amount of creative expression in the form of a series of related images.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/docs\/Third_edition_of_USA_copyright_office_compendium.pdf\">audiovisual work<\/a> must contain creative human authorship. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/docs\/Draft_third_edition_of_USA_copyright_office_compendium.pdf\">audiovisual work<\/a> created through a purely mechanical process, or generated solely by preexisting software is not copyrightable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">An audiovisual work is considered a derivative work if it recasts, transforms, or adapts one or more preexisting works. The preexisting material may or may not be audiovisual material. For example, a videogame may be based on a motion picture or a graphic novel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The author of the derivative work must have permission to use the preexisting material if that material is protected by copyright, and the author must contribute a sufficient amount of new original authorship in order to register the new work as a derivative work.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Copyright Act defines audiovisual works as \u201cworks that consist of a series of related images which are intrinsically intended to be shown by the use of machines or devices such as projectors, viewers, or electronic equipment, together with accompanying sounds, if any, regardless of the nature of the material objects, such as films or tapes, in which the works are embodied.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/2020\/09\/audiovisual-work.html\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Third edition of USA copyright office compendium \u2013 audiovisual works<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,5,6,39,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio-visual","category-copyright","category-intellectual-property","category-interpretation","category-law","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3393"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3403,"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3393\/revisions\/3403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dekuzu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}