If it truly is stolen, you will probably need to go to the people who own the copyright. I believe, though I could be wrong, that A-Pic only handles cases where one of their clients or members owns the copyright that is being ripped off.
If the copyright owners are outside the country, with no U.S. presence or licensing deal, things may not be so clear cut. For many years gore and horror movie places in the U.S. have sold copies of foreign movies claiming that if the creator doesn't have U.S. distribution, they can sell copies here without permission.
It might be bullshit, but it's been going on as long as I can remember. Here is the relevant text from a horror movie site that has been around for a long time:
The section of American copyright law known as "The Berne Act" clearly states: films unreleased in the United States, including original version of films altered and/or edited for release in the United States, are not protected by American copyright; thus, they are considered public domain. The entire purpose of our company is to provide (otherwise unavailable) films to the serious video collector. We do not offer videos owned by American releasing companies. If a film should become available domestically we immediately stop offering it to our clients.
Any lawyers know if this "Berne Act" bit is true?
|