alt Hacker NewsThere are a lot of known lost episodes out there that collectors saved from thrash. The BBC knows it, everyone knows it, but the collectors won't come forward because they are afraid they are going to be prosecuted. They basically stole property which was meant to be destroyed.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/nov/11/lost-do...
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This seems like a weird hangup. Is it likely?
Taking these films back in the 60s might’ve been illegal, but has anyone actually been prosecuted for it in modern times? Haven’t other lost episodes been recovered from ‘illegitimate’ sources without issue?
If it’s a real risk, it also seems weird to me that it’s apparently known that some people have these. Like, if there was really appetite for prosecuting them wouldn’t that be enough to start an investigation?
I don't really understand, it seems like if this was the main thing preventing people from returning them there would be ways around it. Couldn't they return them anonymously or upload them to the internet or something?
I remember when Eccleston's version came out and all the nerd blogs were crying cause this means these episodes were never gonna be released.
You are so right.They are never gonna be released.
I would have thought there would be parties willing to anonymously rip and upload any such materials?
The cost to make a digital copy from film stock has gone way down, to the point that fan groups [1][2] frequently encode and clean up old copies of film:
[1]: https://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com/project-4k77/ [2]: https://www.youtube.com/c/kinekovideo
This of course has various IP implications...