Reading his statements is actually pretty scary. Scary because:
1) he predicted the precise problem in the situations we now face
2) it's amazing how much George Lucas 1988 feels the same about cinematic preservation as I do, but most importantly
3) he predicted every type of digital alteration that he would eventually put to use in the SE as a threat.
Listen to this:
"My name is George Lucas. I am a writer, director, and producer of motion pictures and Chairman of the Board of Lucasfilm Ltd., a multi-faceted entertainment corporation.
I am not here today as a writer-director, or as a producer, or as the chairman of a corporation. I've come as a citizen of what I believe to be a great society that is in need of a moral anchor to help define and protect its intellectual and cultural heritage. It is not being protected.
The destruction of our film heritage, which is the focus of concern today, is only the tip of the iceberg. American law does not protect our painters, sculptors, recording artists, authors, or filmmakers from having their lifework distorted, and their reputation ruined. If something is not done now to clearly state the moral rights of artists, current and future technologies will alter, mutilate, and destroy for future generations the subtle human truths and highest human feeling that talented individuals within our society have created.
A copyright is held in trust by its owner until it ultimately reverts to public domain. American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history.
[snip]
People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society. The preservation of our cultural heritage may not seem to be as politically sensitive an issue as "when life begins" or "when it should be appropriately terminated," but it is important because it goes to the heart of what sets mankind apart. Creative expression is at the core of our humanness. Art is a distinctly human endeavir. We must have respect for it if we are to have any respect for the human race.
These current defacements are just the beginning. Today, engineers with thier computers can add color to black-and-white movies,
change the soundtrack,
speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder.
Tommorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with "fresher faces."
It will soon be possible to create a new "original" negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires.
The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely dilligent in preserving the original negatives of films they control.
In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be "replaced" by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten."
That's George Lucas, I just have to remind again. That's only about 40% of his full letter, but it's representative of the whole thing. What the fuck happened to this guy? He sounds like was pretty cool.