By HELEN TUNNAH
A bid is to be made to retrieve decades of America's Cup film footage whose copyright has been spread globally between broadcasting giants and private collections.
The Cup Heritage Foundation has been set up by the Louis Vuitton challengers in Auckland, with the aim of begging or buying back
as much of the history of cup racing as it can.
The cost of purchasing copyright material is unclear, but the Herald has been told estimates suggest it could soar, with some individual's archives alone worth significant sums.
As well, the copyright of some material is understood to be in dispute, and may need legal efforts to be resolved.
For the past 20 years in particular, individual America's Cups and their challenger series have been organised by different yacht clubs, with the copyright for film, video and print material now spread among a diverse group of companies and private businesspeople.
Foundation director Dyer Jones said the idea of the new charitable trust was to restore the heritage of the America's Cup to the event itself, as happens with Formula One motor racing, international football and American football.
"Our belief is that those rights, be it challenger or defender, should eventually fall under one body and that they should inure to the benefit of the event.
"I don't think it's right that they fall into private hands. The heritage of the event should belong to the event.
"If there was any benefit to be derived, it should be part of the event, it shouldn't be privately beneficial."
The nine challengers in Auckland for the Louis Vuitton Cup have all agreed to join the new foundation.
Talks have been held with Team New Zealand and AC2003, but they have not yet agreed to join the group. They hold the rights to the 2000 America's Cup and for next year's event.
The foundation is so far only guaranteed the challenger series material from the 1999-2000 series and this cup, but Mr Jones is optimistic it can retrieve much more material.
Televised broadcasting for the America's Cup began in 1983, when the New York Yacht Club lost the Cup to Australia. However, radio broadcasts began in 1889 and New York kept official film records of racing throughout the 1960s and 1970s. There are also 16mm home film recordings of racing from early last century.
Copyright for material is now spread between television corporates such as TransWorld International, a branch of IMG, to ESPN, and the ABC. As well, the 1992 and 1995 challenger series rights are held in part by Australian Ernie Taylor, who has a New Zealand agent, Larry Keating.
Mr Jones said the foundation had been set up with limited funding, and buying back material would depend on the cost and whether it was even available.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
By HELEN TUNNAH
A bid is to be made to retrieve decades of America's Cup film footage whose copyright has been spread globally between broadcasting giants and private collections.
The Cup Heritage Foundation has been set up by the Louis Vuitton challengers in Auckland, with the aim of begging or buying back
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