The creative media are stuck in “copyright gridlock,” Heller said, citing as an example the made-for-TV docu “Eyes on the Prize,” about the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. After initially airing in the 1980s, “Eyes” ended up locked away for 20 years as clearances for many images, photos and songs used in the footage couldn’t be secured since rights holders were unknown or wouldn’t agree to terms with the filmmaker.

The larger implication, Heller said, is that, while property rights in general can help spur innovation and investment, too many rights to the same or related property means less innovation, investment and profit. The creative industry should be concerned about this problem because, as he said, “Increasingly, the cutting edge of creativity today is the mash-up, the assembling of multiple parcels.”

via Online, who owns what? – Entertainment News, Front Page, Media – Variety.