Pioneers of Movie Piracy and the Expansion of Copyright Law

Still frame from Chicks to Order vs. still frame from Chicks Made to Order In the early days of cinema, no one knew if it was possible to copyright a movie. This sounds strange to us today, but at the time copyright law only covered written works and photographs. Is a movie like a written … Continue reading Pioneers of Movie Piracy and the Expansion of Copyright Law

The Great Train Robbery

It’s not very often that we celebrate the 110th anniversary of a film.  When The Great Train Robbery debuted in December of 1903, Henry Ford had recently sold his first car, the Boston Americans had just won the first modern World Series, and Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States.  Filmmaking was in its … Continue reading The Great Train Robbery