Missing scenes from the 1927 Fritz Lang classic Metropolis have turned up in Berlin. The new footage is said to answer key questions about the film which are unknown and the footage consists of scenes cut because of their brutality or length. The FW Murnau foundation, which owns the right to Metropolis plans to have the "scratched" footage restored so a longer version of the film may be released.

 guardian.co.uk

For decades, film reels languished on studio lots without any attempt to preserve them. But technology has rushed to the rescue once again. The digital age has given Hollywood the tools to correct faded colors, blurred images, and garbled sound.

Warner Bros. wants to rescue some of America's greatest film treasures, while at the same time cash in on a valuable film library. Execs from all the studios have learned that they can release restored versions of classic films on DVD and extend their economic lifespan...

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Two bills have been introduced to make "orphaned works" easier to use without fearing backlash from copyright owners. If these bills pass, it will be possible to legally use works that do not have a recognized owner, but are still technically in copyright. Since owners of many works cannot easily be indentified, works which may have fell into obscurity can be used can be used without fear of backlash. There is some interesting discussion of corporations using this law in their favor to exploit unfamiliar artists. Regardless, this law will help the preservation of art and more relax usage of media.

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This is hardly the first time Wikipedia censorship has become and issue, but it has come to my attention that recently a primary administrator who is in charge of censorship issues holds clear religious favoritisms in his descretion.

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Every Supreme Court ruling since 1950, is now available online for free. Previously, to access these public domain documents, you would have to pay courts for copies of the documents, or use online services which charged fees.

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