Just a point of interest for any would be continuation novelist out there (me not being one) but could someone write a JB novel now in a country where the copyright still stands for publication in places where it has already lapsed?
Nothing stops you from writing whatever you want wherever you are, you may be doing it just for your own purposes. It's making it publicly available that is subject to applicable laws.
I must be one of the only members on here who actually loves DAD
Well, I don't love it but I do think it is often unfairly maligned. Sure, it has plenty flaws (which Bond film doesn't?) but there's lots of good stuff there too.
Thanks for the link Barbel. Interesting to note that in my country, the copyright lapses 50 years after the author's death. So if I went and adapted a Bond short story into a film, presumably I would be able to screen it here in South Africa but wouldn't be able to put it online where it could be viewed by an international audience?
I'm no legal expert, but it's not a theory I would like to try personally! Eon have highly paid lawyers (starting with MGW himself) who no doubt have contingency plans for just such an event.
And most recent films usually get the most praise. DAD did at the time (and was also the most commercially successful 007 movie when it was released), and more recently Skyfall got almost universal praise too.
Again we will have to disagree...I don't recall DAD getting much praise at all...not from the fans or from the critics...I watched the film with a fellow Bond fan on opening night and we both left the cinema in a stunned silence as to how poor it was...
Skyfall got praise because it was a GOOD film...not because it was the latest film...
The reason SPECTRE is being criticised has nothing to do with Craig (it was his most convincing Bond portrayal) or with being recent, but everything to do with a badly written plot and with ripping off Austin Powers... So yes, DAD is not perfect, and a few things could have been done better, but the same can be said about almost any Bond movie.
I agree the plot was daft...I'd read the shooting script and hoped against hope it would be changed...I hate the idea of Bond/Blofeld having any family connection...
I also thought Craig phoned most of his performance in for this film...I love DC as Bond but I'm happy he's gone IF this is what his performances would be like in the future...
I posted this in another thread, but it seems more relevant here. I apologize for the repetitiveness.
The Gillian Anderson-James Bond thing highlights something I've been thinking for a few years now: I sort of do wish 007 was a public domain character. While it's fun to have a Big Bond Movie every few years, I think it would be exciting to see a variety of interpretations of the character, like we've seen with Sherlock Holmes. We could have Gillian Anderson Bond. Idris Elba Bond. Quentin Tarantino could do the black & white Cold War Bond he wanted to do with Pierce Brosnan. Rupert Everett once said he wanted to do a Bond film exploring 007's sexuality. Lars von Trier expressed interest in doing a dark, twisted Bond film. Imagine if we could see all of those! I think it would be fascinating, and probably more interesting than half of the EON films.
Sure, as with Holmes and Dracula, some public domain James Bond movies would be terrible. But then again, some "official" James Bond movies are terrible.
—Le Samourai
A Gent in Training.... A blog about my continuing efforts to be improve myself, be a better person, and lead a good life. It incorporates such far flung topics as fitness, self defense, music, style, food and drink, and personal philosophy. Agent In Training
I sort of do wish 007 was a public domain character. While it's fun to have a Big Bond Movie every few years, I think it would be exciting to see a variety of interpretations of the character, like we've seen with Sherlock Holmes.
Only drawback is the music. Barry's theme is sort of key....
Otherwise, I agree fully.
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
In terms of music, I understand we've all fallen in love with the familiar, but I still have hope in something entirely new that would do justice to a Bond story. Well known is not automatically successful as demonstrated in NSNA (Lani Hall and Michel Legrand). If going retro with the Fleming plotlines, maybe a soundtrack that approximates what Fleming had in mind? I think of his Desert Island Discs selection.
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
I'd like to see some faithful workings of the novels, and some offshoot films maybe. Overall I think it could be a good thing, being Bond fans we need some diversity as a film every now and then is meager pickings. I just feel with all the iconography. Music, etc any big bond movie not having these would feel wrong.
I'd like to see some faithful workings of the novels, and some offshoot films maybe. Overall I think it could be a good thing, being Bond fans we need some diversity as a film every now and then is meager pickings. I just feel with all the iconography. Music, etc any big bond movie not having these would feel wrong.
I think that's something that has felt wrong about Craig's Bond films, with the Bond theme relegated mostly to the end titles.
I'd like to see some faithful workings of the novels, and some offshoot films maybe. Overall I think it could be a good thing, being Bond fans we need some diversity as a film every now and then is meager pickings. I just feel with all the iconography. Music, etc any big bond movie not having these would feel wrong.
I think that's something that has felt wrong about Craig's Bond films, with the Bond theme relegated mostly to the end titles.
I agree and SP above the others would have been improved with more use of the Bond theme.
I wouldn't like to see a direct rival to EONs Bond however it would be cool (if done correctly) if somebody did accurate versions of the books in the same time era. It would be very different to the EON machine
I wouldn't like to see a direct rival to EONs Bond however it would be cool (if done correctly) if somebody did accurate versions of the books in the same time era. It would be very different to the EON machine
Yes that's my opinion too, I think it would work as a full series, a lot of the novels are quite short and could be worked this way.
I was somehow completely unaware of all of this for years. I always assumed that when the rights went to EON back when it all started, that was it. Of course I knew about some complications with other rights from Feldman, Kevin McClory and the whole thing with the rights of SPECTRE and CR and such, but I never thought these rights would expire! I was expecting the rights could always be renewed!
Thanks for that insightful link Barbel! I guess in Bond fandom you always learn something new everytime
Can't say i'm really thrilled to learn about this though. Bond becoming public domain seems like a frightening idea.
Maybe I'm just a bit conservative when it comes to Bond...
From what I've read, I'm dreading this day. I don't want there to be a load of NSNA's and loads of different bond stuff all at once. It will just confuse everything and make the EON films less special, maybe EON would even stop making them?
Doesn't James Bond belong to EON? I think Tarzan belongs to the Edgar Rice Burroughs Foundation and they control all aspects of publishing, film rights etc. and those books are way past the public domain threshold.
Edgar Rice Burroughs died in 1950, so there's a few more years until they're all in the public domain.
A lot of Tarzan and John Carter is in the public domain. The Burroughs Estate is going the trademark route to prevent others from publishing. They have a better argument than EON does with James Bond, but it's still bogus.
Thanks for the link Barbel. Interesting to note that in my country, the copyright lapses 50 years after the author's death. So if I went and adapted a Bond short story into a film, presumably I would be able to screen it here in South Africa but wouldn't be able to put it online where it could be viewed by an international audience?
You'd be able to screen in other countries that have a life of author + 50 year rule. China does and they don't care about other countries' copyrights and I hear they're a fairly good-sized film market.
From what I've read, I'm dreading this day. I don't want there to be a load of NSNA's and loads of different bond stuff all at once. It will just confuse everything and make the EON films less special, maybe EON would even stop making them?
EON will keep making films as long as they make profit.
I think a proliferation of Bond films would be a disaster and dilute the whole ideology of the character. I would like to see Eon continue with the films and perhaps Sky/HBO or similar to do a big budget television series of the novels set in their own timeframes but nothing else, otherwise all we will get is another hotchpotch of rip-offs like we had in the 60's where virtually every actor at that time did a secret agent movie but this time it will be every actor doing a Bond (look at how many actors are being touted for the next Bond on these boards).
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
I will be surprised if something like this does happen. Eon protects the film rights pretty closely. Besides I like the way the present arrangement works.
I wonder if there will be another change in the copyright laws, as there are so many
Media ways of reading, listening and watching things these days. It's not like anything
Is likely to go out of print these days.
Also why can't copyright be passed on to future generations ? Or maybe it can
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
As I've mentioned in the times before when this topic came up, is I'd love for an actual lawyer to chime in, particularly one specializing in copyright law or maybe even entertainment law if that's applicable. Otherwise, I'm afraid our speculations might fall miles apart from the practical realities of this topic.
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
thinking about it, I don't actually see a big prob with someone else trying a film
when we talk about the Official Series, the creative team responsible for all those iconic elements pretty much passed the torch after the last Dalton film: no Cubby, no Barry, no Adam, no Maibaum, no Simmons, none of the old directors
actorwise only Q remained
the Brosnan films seem like a younger generation trying very hard to replicate what their parents had done much better, theyre like hi-tech remakes of classic films that didn't need remaking
then the Craig films deliberately avoided what the original films had done, including no Q, no Moneypenny, no theme, no gunbarrel at least in the first two, so missing those elements is obviously not an issue
I am quite sure there is some independent competitor out there with enough respect for the old films and the source material they could do at least as good a job as the present Official Series creators have managed
Comments
Nothing stops you from writing whatever you want wherever you are, you may be doing it just for your own purposes. It's making it publicly available that is subject to applicable laws.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Thanks for the link Barbel, it's very interesting {[]
We will have to disagree there...it's stupid and silly !
Again we will have to disagree...I don't recall DAD getting much praise at all...not from the fans or from the critics...I watched the film with a fellow Bond fan on opening night and we both left the cinema in a stunned silence as to how poor it was...
Skyfall got praise because it was a GOOD film...not because it was the latest film...
I agree the plot was daft...I'd read the shooting script and hoped against hope it would be changed...I hate the idea of Bond/Blofeld having any family connection...
I also thought Craig phoned most of his performance in for this film...I love DC as Bond but I'm happy he's gone IF this is what his performances would be like in the future...
Can't the copyright just be renewed in 2034?
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
No, as copyright law protection eventually runs out unless the EU (or some other legislator) decides to change the law to extend it.
The Gillian Anderson-James Bond thing highlights something I've been thinking for a few years now: I sort of do wish 007 was a public domain character. While it's fun to have a Big Bond Movie every few years, I think it would be exciting to see a variety of interpretations of the character, like we've seen with Sherlock Holmes. We could have Gillian Anderson Bond. Idris Elba Bond. Quentin Tarantino could do the black & white Cold War Bond he wanted to do with Pierce Brosnan. Rupert Everett once said he wanted to do a Bond film exploring 007's sexuality. Lars von Trier expressed interest in doing a dark, twisted Bond film. Imagine if we could see all of those! I think it would be fascinating, and probably more interesting than half of the EON films.
Sure, as with Holmes and Dracula, some public domain James Bond movies would be terrible. But then again, some "official" James Bond movies are terrible.
A Gent in Training.... A blog about my continuing efforts to be improve myself, be a better person, and lead a good life. It incorporates such far flung topics as fitness, self defense, music, style, food and drink, and personal philosophy.
Agent In Training
Otherwise, I agree fully.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I think that's something that has felt wrong about Craig's Bond films, with the Bond theme relegated mostly to the end titles.
I wouldn't like to see a direct rival to EONs Bond however it would be cool (if done correctly) if somebody did accurate versions of the books in the same time era. It would be very different to the EON machine
Thanks for that insightful link Barbel! I guess in Bond fandom you always learn something new everytime
Can't say i'm really thrilled to learn about this though. Bond becoming public domain seems like a frightening idea.
Maybe I'm just a bit conservative when it comes to Bond...
YouTube channel Support my channel on Patreon Twitter Facebook fanpage
E minor, usually... ;%
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
But great TV series -{
A lot of Tarzan and John Carter is in the public domain. The Burroughs Estate is going the trademark route to prevent others from publishing. They have a better argument than EON does with James Bond, but it's still bogus.
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120228/18543417906/edgar-rice-burroughs-inc-using-trademark-law-to-prevent-use-public-domain-stories.shtml
You'd be able to screen in other countries that have a life of author + 50 year rule. China does and they don't care about other countries' copyrights and I hear they're a fairly good-sized film market.
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
EON will keep making films as long as they make profit.
Media ways of reading, listening and watching things these days. It's not like anything
Is likely to go out of print these days.
Also why can't copyright be passed on to future generations ? Or maybe it can
when we talk about the Official Series, the creative team responsible for all those iconic elements pretty much passed the torch after the last Dalton film: no Cubby, no Barry, no Adam, no Maibaum, no Simmons, none of the old directors
actorwise only Q remained
the Brosnan films seem like a younger generation trying very hard to replicate what their parents had done much better, theyre like hi-tech remakes of classic films that didn't need remaking
then the Craig films deliberately avoided what the original films had done, including no Q, no Moneypenny, no theme, no gunbarrel at least in the first two, so missing those elements is obviously not an issue
I am quite sure there is some independent competitor out there with enough respect for the old films and the source material they could do at least as good a job as the present Official Series creators have managed
Disney made The Incredibles ... the last half of The Incredibles does an expert job of replicating the classic Bond vibe