As creators of media we deal with copyright law and public domain very often. At a student level it can be as simple as finding a good royalty free song or sound effect. But this can make or break a television studio.
This October break I drove to Burlington Vermont to visit a friend at UVM. It’s a 5-hour drive through a lot of radio dead spots, but while seeking through the stations I found an NPR story about television I found interesting. The program started by quoting television exec’s that fantasized about how great it would be to create a Twilight or Harry Potter television show. The royalty’s would be ridiculous and obviously impossible. The program then quoted the creator’s of the new television show Grimm asking “What can we do that is in public domain?”
I actually found the exact radio program again and you can read it or listen to it here. The two shows talked about in the show are Grimm and Once Upon a Time.
But this whole issue brings up a controversial point, why pay writers or creators when you can take a public domain story that has already been created for free, a story that has already been widely accepted and praised by the public. Snow White, The Three Musketeers, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, The Bible. The list goes on and on.
I've been finding it ironic how two shows about fairy-tales are premiering a week from each other. I guess it all goes back to the idea that there is no such thing as an original thought, however I liked Once Upon A Time and plan on checking out Grimm when it comes out.
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