"Ac3 Surround 5.1" on DVD legal ?

[joachim]

Situation :
Surround mix 5.1 encoded with Apple Compressor using "Dolby Digital 5.1" preset,
no Dolby certified studio,
no agreement inquiery to Dolby for the use of the Dolby DD logo on a DVD, that may be selled.
No money to go to a Dolby certified studio for encoding.

Is it legal, to print on the DVD cover "Audio : AC3 Surround 5.1" ? (To avoid using illegally the trademark "DD", but meaning the same ?)
Or is that already busting a trademark ?

Thanks.

[lexaudio]

I'm not sure what the status of putting DD on a DVD, but what I would suggest is just calling Dolby.

They are very helpful and can answer any questions you have and help you get what you need.

LEX

[paulo m]

You don´t need any permission from Dolby to mix in 5.1, neither you need to do it in a certified Dolby room if you´re only mixing for DVD.

Even if it was for Cinema release, you only need to do it at a certified Dolby room if the final encoding is Dolby Digital, as they won´t encode it and make the optical disk or file if you don´t mix at a certified room. For DCP, you don´t need Dolby at all.

In your case and being a DVD encoded with Dolby AC3 and you´re using Compressor that has the codec included, it´s fair to assume that Apple already paid the rights to use the codec to Dolby, so it´s users are free to use it I guess.

Regarding the use of the DD logo on the cover, I would ask Dolby directly as this is not a release derivated from a cinema mix, so they may have a specific logo to use, you better fill the agreement form. You may find the information here:

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/professio...agreement.aspx

[joachim]

Thanks; I guess, I have to contact Dolby.

[Meads]

Let us know your findings, please.

[conleec]

I'm very curious about this too. My suspicion is that Dolby isn't going to want their name attributed without more control over the process. But you never know until contacting them. Movies that I've encoded via Compressor have all simply indicated 5.1 on the DVD packaging, with no mention of Dolby.

Chris Conlee

[joachim]

Originally Posted by Meads

Let us know your findings, please.

Originally Posted by conleec

But you never know until contacting them.

Just contacted Dolby per email about a "Dolby Logo Use Agreement Application"; 5 business days required for an answer.
Upon applying, you have to check an NDA, so it may not be possible / too easy to give you Dolbys answer.

[Cheesehead]

I had the same problem with a DVD release and there is a specific logo that Dolby will allow you to use for a soundtrack encoded with an AC3 encoder.

That process is a Dolby Digital copyright and will have been paid for by Apple to include in Compressor.

The nice people at Dolby UK sent me a logo that you can use for that, but unfortunately at that time, it wasn't the Dolby Digital logo you usually see on films.
Maybe things have changed?
It'd be great to hear your findings as this will come up more and more with straight to DCP rather than Printmaster.

[jrhager84]

It's perfectly fine to encode in Dolby for free, but as soon as you put the logo on it, you have to sign a logo agreement.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[joachim]

Originally Posted by Meads

Let us know your findings, please.

The answer was : request for an individual agreement and sending in a sample of the movie.
Nothing specific. Looks like it is free.
So, next time, when I want to get the clearance for the logo, when some minutes of the mix are done, I will contact Dolby and have that sample ready, because it takes a whole bunch of weeks until they reply.

Will keep informed here.