STUDIES AND RESEARCHES — ARCHIVIST AND CINEMATOGRAPHIC THEMES

Moral and legal aspects of preservation, protection and restoration of film stock

Our archival theory does not consider the specific problem of moral and legal aspects of preservation, protection and restoration of film stock. Film archives are in a strange position because contrary to written material, the film stock they archive is burdened by unresolved proprietary issues, unless we are dealing with bought film stock or film stock acquired as presents or after certain producer has stopped working. Besides proprietary issues, there is also the issue of copyright and familiar rights. The legal aspects connected with the nature and production of film stock cause many problems in the work of film archives and the use of archived film stock. This particularly refers to European film archives because American film archives resolved their relations with the producers.
Due to the increasing globalisation and general acceptance of the Anglo-Saxon law in all aspects of life, it was attempted to define moral and legal obligations of film archives by the establishment of a Code of Ethics. The purpose of this article is to focus on this new area of archiving, deliberation of moral and legal principles of preservation, protection and restoration of film stock, and to give an interpretation, a critical questioning of the accepted code of ethics and film archiving practices. The author approaches critical consideration, interpretation or presentation of new suggestions from the present situation, the emergence of new electronic media and their interaction with film media.

Mato Kukuljica