Private company to control US-Gov't produced films

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US Navy Training Film (frame grab)

Rick Prelinger alerted BoingBoing to this press release, about T3Media obtaining exclusive rights to digitize and license US-Government produced audio-visual content.

Prelinger says: "Unlike most other developed nations, the U.S. Government does not claim copyright on video, film, photographs and other media produced by its workers. The immense number of works in the U.S. public domain have enabled countless researchers, makers and citizens to read, view and make many new works. True, those wishing to use modern military materials (1940s-present) in DoD's archives often need to negotiate their release with military public affairs, but these materials have traditionally been available for just the cost of duplication. This is soon to change."

Is this the future of how publicly owned analog content will be brought into the digital age? We think so.