Motion Picture Information Service

Motion Picture Information Service MPIS, owned and operated by Elias Savada, provides customized copyright research reports. Other resources are utilized depending on the nature of the request.

The Motion Picture Information Service was founded in 1977, originally to assist overseas film festivals (San Sebastian, Spain; Pordenone, Italy) and archives (Cinemateca Portuguesa, Lisbon; and Filmoteca Española, Madrid) with programming assistance. Having spent 14 years with The American Film Institute, sandwiched around five years as a research supervisor for the copyright law firm of Brylawsk

i & Cleary, MPIS was reorganized to begin preparing copyright research reports and has now serviced over 2,000 clients. Using a vast knowledge of cinema history and keen intuitive skills, I have been able to expand on a basic copyright report to include information not available in the Copyright Office files. MPIS reports represent research on thousands of films, television programs, songs, books, etc. Research is conducted through the appropriate Copyright Office search channels, including the online index of registrations and documents filed since January 1, 1978. Earlier records are recorded in the Copyright Office Card Catalog, housed in the Library of Congress, Washington DC. Most searches are completed within 72 hours, often sooner. The fee is $150 per hour, with a one hour minimum charge. Expedited searches (24 hour turnaround) are billed at $250 per hour. Generally, a simple search of three movie titles or songs will take about one hour and will be a few pages in length. More extensive reporting on underlying works and music can lengthen the amount of time needed to complete reports of this nature. MPIS also provides walk-through copyright application submissions, starting from $150 per application, above any Copyright Office fees.

Good luck…
01/13/2026

Good luck…

In December 2025, Senator Marsha Blackburn, joined by Senator Peter Welch, introduced a bill aimed at simplifying and streamlining the copyright registration process for "high-volume...

From the Library of Congress… soon p.d.
12/31/2025

From the Library of Congress… soon p.d.

The following blog is authored by Ashley Tucker, with legal research by Jessica Chinnadurai and Laura Kaiser. Over the last several years on January 1, we have witnessed a new class of creative works entering the public domain in the United States. In 2026, a variety of works published in 1930, ...

12/16/2025

OK, here's a Trademark Tidbit for you to chew on…

Stay tuned…
11/27/2025

Stay tuned…

An appeals court panel had said that Shira Perlmutter, the head of the U.S. Copyright Office, could remain in her role as an adviser to Congress.

Sometimes you sue…sometimes you don't…
11/03/2025

Sometimes you sue…sometimes you don't…

Reed Timmer won't be suing penguinz0, but the storm chaser said he pushes back on blatant "content theft" to protect the value of his work.

This is getting downright silly…
11/03/2025

This is getting downright silly…

The IPKat blog reports on copyright, patent, trade mark, info-tech and confidentiality issues from a mainly UK and European perspective.

Another oops moment…
11/03/2025

Another oops moment…

7th Circuit: register the right copyright or risk losing even when tracks sound identical. But what if the artist did—and nobody noticed?

Goofy George…the loser.
11/02/2025

Goofy George…the loser.

Despite the best efforts of the government, George Santos refuses to leave the public eye – for now, at least. On September 15, 2025, the Second...

Both sides now…
11/02/2025

Both sides now…

Learn why Sony Music Entertainment is suing USC for using its music in social videos without obtaining the proper permission to do so.

More on how SCOTUS might approach AI …
10/19/2025

More on how SCOTUS might approach AI …

Dr. Stephen Thaler has taken his fight to get works created by AI machines recognized as copyrightable to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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