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Research Department: Scholarly Communication Services

What you need to know

Showing Movies in Class and On Campus - What You Need to Know

When you want to perform, display, or show a film, video, or TV program, whether it be as part of a course, at a group or club activity, at an organization event, or as a training exercise, you have to consider the rights of the those who own the copyright to the work you want to use. This consideration must be made regardless of who owns the video or where you obtained it. Copyright owners have the exclusive right to publicly perform their works and so there may be situations when permission must be obtained before a copyrighted work is publicly performed. 

When you're using a film, video, or TV program in a classroom for teaching or educational purposes, such performance or display of the entire work may be allowed without permission under the face-to-face teaching exemption at 17 U.S.C. §110(1).

When showing a film in an online class, it may be considered fair use depending on how much of the film is being shown and for what purposes. If fair use does not apply, you will need a streaming license or view the film through a licensed streaming film provider.

In most other cases, especially when the film, video, or TV program is being shown as part of an event, you need permission--often in the form of a public performance rights (PPR) license--to perform or show the copyrighted work.

Compiled From ATLA Libguide URL: https://atla.libguides.com/copyright

Public Performance

Do I Need Public Performance Rights (PPR)?

You need public performance rights:

  • If the showing of the video is open to the public, such as a screening at a public event, OR
  • If the showing is in a public space where access is not restricted, such as a showing of a film for a class but in a venue that is open to anyone to attend, OR
  • If persons attending are outside the normal circle of family and friends, such as a showing of a film by a club or organization.

 You do not need public performance rights:

  • If you are privately viewing the film in your home with only family and friends in attendance, OR
  • If you are an instructor showing the film in class as part of the course curriculum to officially enrolled students in a classroom that is not open to others to attend, OR
  • If the film is in the public domain

If PPR is required, there are two ways to obtain that permission or license:

  • Contact the copyright holder directly, or contact the distributor.  If the distributor has the authority from the copyright owner to grant licenses, to purchase public performance rights, or request permission for a particular public performance use, permission or license can be directly obtained.
  • Contact the licensing service representing the particular studio or title (note - this will generally be required for all feature-length films). Services vary in the types of licensing offered and the scope of materials represented. 

Compiled From ATLA Libguide URL: https://atla.libguides.com/copyright