DigMod said:
I’d like to better understand the claim that some have made that copyright does not apply to film. Can anyone share that info?
No, because it’s a false claim.
Like any fairly insular community, perspective can get warped a little and people can start to believe “facts” that aren’t really facts; but if someone who illegally scanned and further illegally distributed a copyrighted print (setting aside whether or not they fundraised off it) tries to say they “own” that scan, they’re not really correct. Granted, they would in fact “own” the repercussions should any studio decide (against their better judgment) to go after enthusiasts that have spent an exorbitant amount of money on said studio’s official products.
But the legality of “owning” the scan they made is zero. Which is why putting it up for grabs is always a bit of a risk, because it’s out of your control as to what happens to it after that point, and you’re effectively trusting the small circle of pirates in your pirate community to honor the unspoken code everyone’s presumably operating by.
It sucks when someone decides to - effectively - steal from the dealers (you’ve seen this scenario on TV certainly: “what are the dealers gonna do - go to the cops? Say someone stole their stash?”) and get a brief rush or thrill for playing “robin hood” to some degree. But nothing beyond an unspoken community rule actually got broken.