Fandor Opens the Door to DRM-Free Movie Streaming

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 8, 2012) - Beginning today, Fandor, the premier destination for watching and sharing exceptional films, will stream Sita Sings the Blues for free to members and non-members alike. For the first time, this critically acclaimed and audience-beloved feature film is available for streaming through an online rental or subscription movie service.

Filmmaker Nina Paley released Sita Sings the Blues, an animated musical film based on the Hindu epic the Ramayana, using a Creative Commons Share-Alike license. Fandor is the first film service of its kind to support the Creative Commons license by building a custom delivery method for Digital Rights Management (DRM)-free content.

"Sita Sings the Blues is a deeply personal project that I am very proud of. My choice to distribute it under a Share-Alike license posed a problem for many online movie services, who insisted on DRM restrictions," said Ms. Paley. "As a filmmaker, Fandor's enthusiasm for Sita and efforts to bring it to a large movie-loving audience is heartening and underscores their commitment to working with independent artists."

Fandor caters to both independent film fans and mainstream movie lovers with one of the web's largest collections of films that celebrate a passion for the cinema. Fandor provides access to great films that can't be found anywhere else, including thousands of titles often overlooked by conventional movie services.

In addition, Fandor supports filmmakers by leveraging social media networks so that members can easily share the movies they find and love, and through a unique distribution model that shares a portion of its subscription fees with independent filmmakers and distributors. Ms. Paley will receive a portion of Fandor membership fees under Fandor's revenue sharing agreement.

"Fandor is helping moviemakers find an audience in new ways and get paid for it," said Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive and the Open Content Alliance. "I am impressed by the flexibility in Fandor's revenue sharing model that can pay Ms. Paley for both Fandor subscribers and non-subscribers who view the film."

To read more about Ms. Paley's reasons for licensing her film using Creative Commons and her position on DRM, read her blog post "Turning Down Netflix" on her website Ninapaley.com

About Fandor
Fandor is a curated on-demand movie service for exceptional independent narrative and documentary films. Launched in March 2011, Fandor offers a new way to discover, watch, and share great, hard-to-find movies. Founded by veterans of the Internet and film industries, Fandor offers thought-provoking entertainment to consumers and a new distribution channel for filmmakers. Through a deep integration with Facebook, Fandor allows members to easily share what they're watching with friends, adding a unique social component to the film watching experience. Subscribers to Fandor.com get unlimited access to films for $10 per month. More information is available at http://www.fandor.com.