It's not unusual to "protect your brand", but this is over the top... sheer avarice. I tried to license a newsreel clip from British Pathe' on the city of Grenoble in 1967 (pre-Olympics[TM]). Street scenes, OK -- but 5 seconds of news footage from the Olympic[TM] Stadium was blocked by you-know-who. Senseless.
Whenever we ask to use a news clip in a non-broadcast video program, we're informed that not only does the network need to sign off on it, but any newscasters who appear need to give their individual, separate permission. And that's an automatic double-"no".
On the post: Don't Say 2012 Olympics Unless You've Paid Your Licensing Fee
On the post: Is It Copyright Infringement For A Political Campaign To Use A Snippet Of A News Broadcast In An Ad?
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