The Phantom Edit
From Mod Mania
The following is a brief summary and response to an article by Daniel Kraus entitled
The Phantom Edit
The Phantom Edit
In late 2001, a Star Wars fan began distributing a re-edit of Episode One, which they had created from the original footage. Through the significant Star Wars fan base, Episode 1.1 became a much loved and widely viewed film. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, was reportedly keen to view this re-edit.
However, when 1.1, and other re-edits inspired by it, began to be actively distributed, and sometimes for commercial gain, Lucasfilms decided enough was enough. They published a thinly veiled threat to stop the distribution of their material, as it infringed their copyrights.
Just why they did this is still unclear. It is certain in my mind that they sensed no commercial threat. Lucasfilms is just too big, and most of the people involved in the growing re-editing community were not out to turn a profit, and probably viewed the original in the cinema anyway. Perhaps Lucas did not want to loose control of his creative work, a view that would seem to be supported by the terms and conditions added when the film was added to film editing website Eyespot (Eyespot usually is a place that offers fans the freedom to post re-edits of films, and grants the editors creative rights. Lucasfilms however, stated that all Star Wars material posted shall remain the intellectual property of LF and the editor shall have no rights, commercial or otherwise.)
The whole issue is as yet unresolved, and goes beyond film making. For now it seems to be that ‘mod-ers’ should just keep going until they are told to cease and desist, and choose a course of action based on their financial situation. Until such time as a very rich mod-er comes along, we are unlikely to see the matter dealt with in the courts, so we are at the mercy of the policy of big business. Unfortunately, outside the gaming world this seems to be one of draconian control regardless of any anticipated disadvantage to themselves.
Rohan
