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From: faustus@ygdrasil.Berkeley.EDU (Wayne A. Christopher)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics,misc.legal
Subject: Copyright status of rotoscoping?
Message-ID: <39626@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 16 Nov 90 18:26:59 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: faustus@ygdrasil.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Wayne A. Christopher)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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Rotoscoping is the practice of taking footage of live actors and using
it as a guide for animated sequences.  For example, one might analyse
the walking movements of Marilyn Monroe and use it to guide a Jessica
Rabbit type of character.  (This is probably a more liberal usage of
the term than usual.)  What I'm curious about is the copyright status
of the animated work.  Can it be considered a derivative work of the
original footage?  Is there any legal precedent one way or another?
Thanks,

	Wayne