LAST MONTH, we attended the National Conference on Copyright and the Philippine Film Industry organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo) at the CCP.

FROM LEFT: Renault, Hill and Aft.

Guest speakers included American Rob Aft, who distributes Hollywood films, Australian lawyer, Judith Miller, who specializes in entertainment and media, and Frenchman Charles-Edouard Renault, who advises foreign television channels on copyright laws.

What did we learn from them? Miller gave us a backgrounder on copyright. She shared, “The producer owns—or has, in the future, the right to own—all the underlying rights necessary for the production, marketing and distribution of a film. It’s best to be aware of every stage of the process and identify where rights need to be obtained, document the relationship before it even begins, and make sure the acquired rights are all that are needed, and obtain good legal advice.”

Optimistic

Aft enthused, “As producers, we want you to be optimistic and take chances. Be creative. Make movies like ‘Black Swan’ or ‘The King’s Speech.’

“Here’s a funny story about ‘The Fighter’: Fox released the movie, but wouldn’t finance it, because they didn’t think it would make any money. It had a good cast and a great director, but few people watch boxing movies—so, they didn’t finance it. The producers had to cut the budget from $60 million to $22 million.”

Actor Rez Cortez wondered about the payment of royalties. “I worked on a TV series for the Australian Broadcasting Corp. I signed a contract that stipulated the royalty I’ll get. The residuals they’ll pay me will include certain territories. But, I have no way of monitoring.”

Miller was honest enough to say that, as an actor, Cortez has “no right to audit the books of the network. Having said that, the company is public, it doesn’t make any profit. Even if you’re a foreign actor, the union might be able to assist you. ABC is an honest organization. I hope that gives you comfort—but, contractually, you can’t do much.”

Renault was stunned when he learned that Filipino movie workers don’t have an organized union. He stressed, “The creation of a union is a human right. You are in a democracy, so it should be possible.”

Aft had good advice, “Don’t lose what is distinctly Filipino, because that is what has made your films successful abroad.”