Terms of Use
Last updated September 2026
These terms govern your use of the Access Footage website and your account. Buying footage is covered separately by our Terms of Purchase. By using this site you accept these terms; if you do not accept them, please do not use the site.
1. Who we are
Access Footage operates accessfootage.com, a digital library of archival film sourced from public domain collections. For anything in these terms, or to exercise any of the data rights described below, contact us via the contact page.
2. Accounts and approval
Anyone may browse the catalogue and watch screeners. To purchase, you must register an account, which we approve by hand. We may decline, suspend or close an account at our discretion — for example where the details given are inaccurate, where an account is shared, or where our terms are breached.
You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for activity carried out under your account. Tell us promptly if you believe it has been used without your permission.
3. Screeners and acceptable use
The low-resolution, watermarked screeners on this site are provided for preview and research only. They must not be broadcast, published, redistributed or used in any finished production. Event Collection downloads are provided free of charge for reference; the same restriction applies.
You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the site, scrape or bulk-download the catalogue by automated means, interfere with its operation, or use it for anything unlawful.
4. Intellectual property
The films in this collection are drawn from public domain sources. Our scans, restoration work, metadata, descriptions, page designs and the site itself remain ours. Purchasing a master grants the rights set out in the Terms of Purchase; nothing on this site transfers ownership of our materials to you.
5. Availability
We aim to keep the site available and its information accurate, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted access, and we may change, withdraw or re-price titles at any time. Nothing here excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be excluded.
6. Data protection and privacy (UK GDPR)
We are the data controller for personal data collected through this site. We handle it in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
What we collect
- Account details — your name and email address, and your password stored as a one-way hash.
- Purchase records — the titles you bought, prices paid, dates, and your order and payment reference.
- Download records — which master you downloaded, when, and the IP address used, kept as an audit trail against misuse.
- Technical data — server logs and the cookies described below.
We do not receive or store your card details. Payments are handled by Stripe, who process them as a separate controller under their own privacy policy.
Why we use it, and our lawful basis
- Performing our contract with you — running your account, taking payment, delivering masters and providing support.
- Legitimate interests — approving accounts, keeping download audit records, preventing fraud and misuse, and keeping the service secure.
- Legal obligation — keeping sales and tax records.
We do not use your data for advertising, we do not sell it, and we do not send marketing email unless you have asked us to.
Who we share it with
Only the suppliers who make the service work: Stripe (payment processing), Amazon Web Services (file storage and delivery, and the email that sends your receipts and download links), and our hosting provider. Each acts under contract, and we share only what is needed. We may also disclose data where the law requires it.
Where it is stored
Our servers and primary file storage are in the UK and the EU. Some archive material is held in the United States; where personal data is transferred outside the UK it is protected by the safeguards our suppliers provide, such as the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
How long we keep it
Account data is kept while your account is open, and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle queries. Order records are kept for at least six years to meet tax and accounting requirements. Download audit logs are kept for up to two years.
Your rights
You have the right to ask for a copy of your data, to have inaccurate data corrected, to ask for erasure or restriction, to object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interests, and to receive your data in a portable form. To exercise any of these, contact us — we will respond within one month. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk), though we would rather hear from you first so we can put things right.
Cookies
We use only the cookies needed to run the site: one that keeps you signed in and holds your session, and one that protects forms against cross-site request forgery. We do not use advertising or third-party analytics cookies.
7. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time; the date at the top shows when they last changed. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.
8. Governing law
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them.