It's all a matter of the legal niceties, I imagine.  If Walmart contracts with, say, New Line Cinemas for a version of one of their films with the obscenities edited out, New Line Has agreed to the change.
 
My understanding based on the articles others have posted is these "Clean Films" places did the editing on their own, without going to the owner first.  As Peter just pointed out, if you approach them and ask for certain things, they may be willing to provide.  But if you do it on your own, you're violating their rights in the product.

DS
 

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Daniel Sokolow, Archives Coordinator
David Taylor Archives
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From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of James Stimpert
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 1:39 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Clean Flicks copyright case

I'm curious as to how this practice differs from Walmart's practice of selling "sanitized" versions of CDs and DVDs.  At least with music CDs, I guess the recording studios have approved the changes, in which case it's not copyright infringement.  Radio stations for decades have played versions of songs with certain words changed (one instance is Charlie Daniels Band's "Devil Went Down to Georgia"), and often the albums containing those songs have also been "cleaned up," depending on where they're being sold.  But again, this was likely done with the knowledge and cooperation (if not approval) of the studios.
 
I don't condone these companies taking movies and changing them to fit whatever "morals" they favor.  In fact, I'm surprised that - having gone that far - they didn't change the endings of a few if they didn't go along with their notions of "good is supposed to triumph over evil."  But I'm curious about how this differs from what Walmart (and maybe other large chains?) has been doing for years.
 
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James Stimpert
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>>> Roy Webb <[log in to unmask]> 07/17/06 12:44 PM >>>
Just back from a family vacation, too late to get in on the staff morale thread, dang!  Oh well, suffice to say we all work together well and I'm lucky to have a great staff.  Anyway, a couple more things about the "CleanFlicks" controversy--which is kind of a home-grown thang from the Pretty, Great State of Utah--that has, obviously, national implications.  The first is a TRIBUNE editorial agreeing with the court that said the practice had to stop; the other two are just articles by one of the entertainment editors about the latest news on it.  I had to agree with a comment by someone else, that this is yet another case of people thinking that their personal beliefs put them above the law.



7/12/06
The right to copy: So much time picking at maggots
Tribune Editorial

It's not, goodness knows, that Hollywood never makes a horrible hash out of someone else's creative work.
   But, unless mo! tion picture producers want to reach back into the public domain to slime Shakespeare, demean Dickens or popularize Puccini, they have to buy the rights to any novel, play or old TV show they want to turn into a feature film.
   And the copyright-holder has the right, if not always the strength, to either refuse to sell it or to demand some creative control over the final product.
   That's the point that the owners of Utah-based CleanFlicks and similar outfits have not seemed to grasp. It's the point of a correctly reasoned federal court ruling last week that found the unauthorized editing of copyrighted films by people who turn around and sell or rent the altered versions to someone else is illegal.
http://www.sltrib.com/search/ci_4054661


7/14/06
CleanFlicks gets more time to surrender doctored films
By Vince Horiuchi
The Salt Lake Tribune

Video companies that sa! nitize movies for rental have been given more time to hand over all th eir inventory to Hollywood attorneys as part of federal court judgment.
   CleanFlicks of American Fork and another Utah company, CleanFilms, were ordered to immediately shut down business and give up all of their stock of edited movies within five days after a U.S. District Court judge ruled July 6 that what they do violates U.S. copyright law.
   CleanFlicks Chief Executive Ray Lines said he has had to wait to receive all of his DVDs and VHS tapes from rental customers before he can comply with the order.
   He and the owners of CleanFilms, a party to the suit that also rents and sells edited videos to other stores and to customers over the Internet, have been meeting with their attorneys this week to determine whether they should appeal the ruling.
http://www.sltrib.com/search/ci_4049375



7/15/06
CleanFlicks stores plan for the worst
By Vince Horiuchi
Th! e Salt Lake Tribune

       
    John Dixon, right, and Ray Lines, chief executive for video distributor CleanFlicks, are seen at a Provo CleanFlicks store. (Paul Fraughton/Tribune file photo )    
Every week, Aaron Campbell and his family stop by the CleanFlicks video store in Orem to rent movies such as "The Pink Panther" or "The Matrix." But these videos have been scrubbed clean of foul language and violence.
   Tuesday, the 35-year-old Orem marketing manager stepped into the store again. But he wasn't renting videos; he was buying because CleanFlicks might have to close its doors.
http://www.sltrib.com/search/ci_4039504 




Roy Webb, C.A.
Multimedia Archivist
Special Collections
J. Willard Marriott Library
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University of Utah
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