Info/Law

The New York Times noted yesterday [registration required] that C-SPAN’s recording of the Stephen Colbert comedy routine from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was the number one download at iTunes last weekend, at $1.95 a pop. (Hat tip: Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire)

That’s the same routine that, as I wrote previously, C-SPAN demanded be taken down from YouTube and IFILM, consistent with its general policy against permissions for internet streaming. Apparently, though, the revenue goes to Audible.com, which distributes C-SPAN content. Snippets from the Times:

C-Span says it owns anything it films with its own cameras — that is, everything that appears on its three channels except for what is said on the floor of the House and Senate, where government cameras are used.

[Snip]

C-Span, which was founded in 1979 and gets 95 percent of its financing from the cable industry, says it is uncomfortable with the impression it is a commercially minded content provider.

Under its agreement with Audible, [C-SPAN's spokesman] said, C-Span receives a nominal monthly fee and Audible can choose what material to make available at its site and via iTunes.

This all seems backwards to me. I would rather the network be more “commercially minded” and demand a cut of this lucrative iTunes market, and less stingy about granting permission to incorporate footage in video that’s streamed over the internet. Instead, under the current arrangement, the public pays for (some) C-SPAN content, C-SPAN does not get revenue to help fund its work, and filmmakers can’t use C-SPAN content in material distributed on the internet.

Filed under: Education & Copyright, Intermediaries