Open copyright licensing of interviews from the controversial documentary Outfoxed prompts the nonprofit to invite political speakers of all stripes to share their expression during Campaign 2004

Los Angeles and San Francisco, USA – Robert Greenwald, director and producer of the documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism, announced today the release of the film’s original footage under a Creative Commons “some rights reserved” copyright license.

The film, which has drawn attention for its pointed critique of Fox News, consists largely of interviews with former Fox employees and news guests. Under the Creative Commons Sampling Plus license, these interviews can now be shared legally on P2P networks or publicly performed for noncommercial purposes. Greenwald has even invited viewers to transform or re-edit his original footage or use it in their own films under the terms of the license. Footage from another Greenwald documentary, Uncovered: The War on Iraq, will also be available soon, Greenwald said.

“In making Outfoxed and Uncovered, I learned how cumbersome and expensive it can be to license footage from news organizations. Creative Commons licenses allow me as a filmmaker to know immediately how I can use a piece of content in my films,” said Greenwald. “I could think of no better way to walk the talk myself than by releasing the interviews from Outfoxed and Uncovered under a license that allows other filmmakers to use my material in new and creative ways. I look forward to seeing what others do with these interviews.”

Greenwald’s announcement prompted Creative Commons, a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the legal sharing and re-use of creative works, to call upon authors and artists across the political spectrum to follow suit during this election season.

“We’d be delighted to see other films and footage ( liberal or conservative, favorable towards or critical of any media outlet or public policy ( free to share under Creative Commons licenses,” said Glenn Otis Brown, executive director of Creative Commons. “Political speech is meant to be heard far and wide. Whether in the form of campaign pamphlet, polemical movie, or protest song, core expression is perfectly suited to sharing online.”

The interviews from Outfoxed are now available for free download from the Internet Archive (http://archive.org) via Torrentocracy (http://torrentocracy.com), a cutting-edge tool combining BitTorrent, RSS, and traditional broadcast technologies.

Since its release in theaters and on DVD last month, Outfoxed has remained on Amazon.com’s top ten best-seller list.

About Creative Commons

A nonprofit corporation launched in late 2002, Creative Commons promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works-whether owned or in the public domain-by empowering authors and audiences. It is sustained by the generous support of the Center for the Public Domain, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Omidyar Network Fund, and the Hewlett Foundation.

For general information, visit https://creativecommons.org.

About Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism

Outfoxed “examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, have been running a ‘race to the bottom’ in television news. This film provides
an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations
taking control of the public’s right to know.”

Outfoxed has sold over 100,000 DVDs since it’s release online in July and is currently in theaters nationwide.

For more information, visit http://outfoxed.org/.

About Uncovered: The War on Iraq

In his documentary feature, Uncovered: The War on Iraq, filmmaker Robert Greenwald “chronicles the Bush Administration’s determined quest to invade Iraq following the events of September 11, 2001. The film deconstructs the administration’s case for war through interviews with U.S intelligence and defense officials.”

For more information, visit http://www.truthuncovered.com.

About the Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) public nonprofit that was founded to build an “Internet library,” with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format. Founded in 1996 and located in the Presidio of San Francisco, the Archive has been receiving data donations from Alexa Internet and others. In late 1999, the organization started to grow to build more well rounded collections, like its Open Source Music and Open Source Movies catalogs.

For more information, visit http://archive.org.

About Torrentocracy

Torrentocracy (pronounced like the word “democracy”) “is a combination of RSS, BitTorrent, your television, and your remote control. In effect, it gives any properly motivated person or entity the ability to have their own TV station. By running Torrentocracy on a computer connected to your television, you not only become a viewer of any available content from the internet, but you also become a part of a vast grass roots media distribution network. This is not about the illegal distribution of media, but rather, about enabling an entirely new way to receive the video which you watch on your TV.”

For more information, visit http://torrentocracy.com.

Contact

Glenn Otis Brown
Executive Director
Creative Commons
glenn@creativecommons.org
1-415-946-3065

Jim Gilliam
Co-Producer
Outfoxed
jim@gilliam.com
1-310-562-2383

Stewart Cheifet
Director of Collections
Internet Archive
stewart@archive.org
1-415-561-6767

Gary Lerhaupt
Torrentocracy.com
gary@lerhaupt.com

Press Kit

https://creativecommons.org/presskit/