Begin forwarded message:

> Eyes on the Screen
>
> "Eyes on the Prize", Civil Rights Documentary, To Be
> Released Over the Internet Despite Copyright Disputes
>
> A day of public screenings of the legendary documentary,
> to be organized for February 8th, 2005
>
> HYPERLINK: http://www.eyesonthescreen.org
>
> According to some, it's illegal for makers of the civil
> rights documentary "Eyes on the Prize" to put it on DVD or
> show it in public. But at 8:00 PM on February during Black
> History Month, Downhill Battle (downhillbattle.org) is
> encouraging Americans to celebrate the struggle and triumph
> of the civil rights movement with screenings of "Eyes on the
> Prize" in homes and public places with the goal of having a
> screening in every major city in America. The campaign is
> called Eyes on the Screen.
>
> "Eyes on the Prize" is the most comprehensive and revered
> civil rights documentary ever made. But the documentary has
> not been available for public viewing for the past 10 years
> because of unreasonable copyright laws that impose stifling
> restrictions on artists and filmmakers. In one instance,
> copyright holders believe they should receive licensing fees
> for the song "Happy Birthday," which appears in footage of a
> group of people singing to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
>
> "To celebrate Black History Month, we believe that "Eyes
> on the Prize" should be seen by as many people as possible,"
> says Tiffiniy Cheng of Downhill Battle. "The civil rights
> movement is just too important for this invaluable resource
> to be denied to the public. So, we're going to help
> distribute "Eyes on the Prize" to a mass audience and
> communities can have screenings."
>
> "Eyes on the Prize is one of the most effective
> documentaries ever put together that dealt with civic
> engagement," says civil rights leader Lawrence Guyot. "This
> is analogous to stopping the circulation of all the books
> about Martin Luther King, stopping the circulation of all
> the books about Malcolm X, stopping the circulation of books
> about the founding of America… I would call upon everyone
> who has access to 'Eyes on the Prize' to openly violate any
> and all laws regarding its showing."
>
> "Eyes on the Prize" is an award-winning 14-volume
> documentary made by the late Henry Hampton, tracking the
> Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1965. Clayborne Carson, a
> Stanford University history professor, has said, "It is the
> principal film account of the most important American social
> justice movement of the 20th century" (Wired News, 12/22/04).
>
> "Eyes on the Prize" was the first introduction to the
> history of the Civil Rights Movement for millions of
> people," says Nicholas Reville of Downhill Battle, "But our
> corporatized copyright system is keeping it locked away."
>
> "The situation of "Eyes on the Prize" is a perfect example
> of why copyright law isn't working for the public," says
> Cheng. "It's ridiculous that this documentary is languishing
> in copyright purgatory, instead of being shown in classrooms.
> "Eyes on the Screen" is a perfect example of how people can
> bring attention to bad copyright law and start turning the
> situation around."
>
> For background, see this article:
>
> http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14801-2005Jan16.html