Can i buy these legally?

[Mike Newell]

Hollywood knows the value of a dollar. Also, depends who you piss off. Look at the poor famous collectors Roddy Mc Dowell (bad boy) and Bob Monkhouse (semi good boy) . One got off with a severe warning the other got a good portion of his collection barbecued.

I remember a time there were countless bootleggers of Elvis material and the EP estate went after the them and put everyone out of business no matter the cost. Sid Shaw was the only standee until he died.

Messr Spielberg also knows the value of a buck and is well known for pursuing people through the courts no matter the cost.

[Carl Ingram]

As a newbie i'm over whelmed with the replies on this subject, trying to read through them all has been a task, so to summarize then, unless you have the owners permission to copy whole or part of a film from one format to another your are in breach of copyright, regardless if it is 16mm or 8mm film tape, or are the latest release's exempt in some way due to them being already in the public domain or out of copy right due to age ?. I am nervous about buying these films now off ebay, because they maybe pirated copies, and not therefore owned by the seller, and therefore illegal to own in any extended or cut down format ?

[Ed Gordon]

As a newbie i'm over whelmed with the replies on this subject, trying to read through them all has been a task....

Yes Carl, it is all very muddy. The copyright owners like muddy.

I have never heard of anyone getting into trouble buying old movies on Ebay. There was time when Ebay would not even accept ads for 35mm film, but you see them all the time now. The landscape has changed. The most significant threat to movie copyright holders these days is Bluray/UHD, not old film collectors.

Ebay is not worried about selling old movies, so there is no reason you should be worried about buying old movies off Ebay.

[Phil Moors]

The thing to do is just to stick to main distributors of Super 8 from the past, MGM, Universal, Disney, Paramount (Marketing Films),
Walton Films, Derann, Ken Films etc. the point has been made on this forum that film distributors aren’t interested in film collectors activities, I’m not sure that is correct. Also someone made the point that Super 8 films are marked a authorised for home exhibition. That is true, but any film could be marked with that, it doesn’t mean it is so. You sometimes see films for sale on eBay you have not seen before but have no idea where they originated from. Stick to the main companies and you can’t go wrong.

[Osi Osgood]

I'd like to agree with that, Phil, but I doubt that most of those FBI and otherwise, even know what Super 8 is, let alone even know that there was ever a market for super 8 films, period, as, people today think the world has always functioned as it does. There's always been cellphones, there's always been flat screen TV ECT. I'm sure that there are those on this forum that could comment on the very curiosity of film and projectors in the first place, with great fascination! ( Oooh, what's that? Where do I plug my charger in?). I would agree that the companies of the today have "bigger fish to fry", ala tracking YouTube videos for copyright infringement, as they are truly looked upon as a threat, compared to twenty or thirty super 8 prints out there, which can only even be viewed if someone has a projector in the first place. Speilberg was one that was really seriously saying yet or no as to whether this or that film made it onto super 8 and what cut those digests would have.

[Mike Newell]

Those who bootleg and pirate tend to do all formats and genres so film tend to be pulled into bigger fish category. It might have a smaller financial reward for those who produce these releases but they are all illegal and against the law. There is no defence for those who are involved ignorance, dementia, old age or small financial rewards.

[Carl Ingram]

Thanks for your comments and thoughts on this subject, and some interesting points of view, my christian upbringing will not allow me to get involved with any kind of enterprise that is in least bit illegal or unsavoury or appears to be, so i doubt i will be purchasing any of the new products mentioned here, that just leaves ebay really, and those who sell on there. Thank you all.

[Mike Newell]

Thanks for your comments and thoughts on this subject, and some interesting points of view, my christian upbringing will not allow me to get involved with any kind of enterprise that is in least bit illegal or unsavoury or appears to be, so i doubt i will be purchasing any of the new products mentioned here, that just leaves ebay really, and those who sell on there. Thank you all.

Carl fully accept your views. As previously stated by Phil in terms of Super 8 you would be best to stick to established companies Main distributors of Super 8 from the past, MGM, Universal, Disney, Paramount (Marketing Films),Walton Films, Derann, Ken Films. They had written contracts and rights to distribute package movies and complete legality Outside that you can’t by association confirm or deny anything.

[Lee McCaffrey]

Weren't some of the Derann 'Imports' questionable though

[Steve Klare]

Derann stepped on the line here and there to say the least. Just one example was a film they called "Reflections USA", which was actually titled "Precious Images". It's a compilation of about 500 short clips from the first decades of American film up until the mid 1980s.

I read about this film that the huge numbers of titles and studios involved made it very unlikely ever to be released for home viewing due to complicated copyright issues, but Derann...found a way...

[Mike Newell]

Derann stepped on the line here and there to say the least. Just one example was a film they called "Reflections USA", which was actually titled "Precious Images". It's a compilation of about 500 short clips from the first decades of American film up until the mid 1980s.

I read about this film that the huge numbers of titles and studios involved made it very unlikely ever to be released for home viewing due to complicated copyright issues, but Derann...found a way...

“Stepped on the line” interesting analysis . More like line dancing or the main River dance number with Whiskey Galore mixed into it 💃

[Douglas Meltzer]

I'm not sure if anything new that Derann released in its last few years was legit. The Master & Commander feature, the excerpts from The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix & End of Days, along with Wallace & Gromit!

[Mike Newell]

Prior to video they had deals with UA for double digests, They also did have deals with Fox, Columbia and Disney for features. Everything else cartoons , imports , moviola releases, reprints from red fox and others plus white box specials and special lists you received, Who Knows??. Did they ever do a deal with Hammer? Also, any releases they handled for other dealers I believe a few extra copies fell out of the printer but then that was a habitual habit from the 1970s

[Rob Young]

"Stepped on the line".

Crikey Steve that and then some...

Doug is correct.

Let us say, "No copyright given or implied"!!!

But who was harmed? Collectors payed to watch movies that still looked better than DVD back in that day and a company with employees kept going.

It didn't stop some mean hearted members of the super 8 community sabotaging certain activities, but that is their own story to give.

We could have had 3 Wallace & Gromit adventures had not "the lab ruined the negatives..."

[Mike Newell]

Least they printed decent Laurel and Hardy. Remember enquiring what the prints were like and being told Have you watched them or taped them of the tv. Then look at them and you will know everything you need to know about print and sound.