Do radio stations pay royalties for the use of clips from the movies? Or, are they public domain? - Jinx
Not public domain (unless the movie has fallen into PD).
But it’s a gray area. The DJs probably claim it’s fair use, and since it’s only a small snippet of the film, they have a case. Since it’s PR for the film, the studios don’t go to the trouble of suing over the issue.
Also, the station pays ASCAP fees for all the music they play, so any music in the clip is covered.
I was under the impression that in general, short clips fall under “fair use”. It’s just like the song samples that online record stores offer.
Fox is particularly notorious for going after people who have Simpsons sound clip websites for example, but I suspect that if anyone actually had the time and resources to challenge them in court, Fox would lose.