Again this is one of the parts of copyright law that is very clear. In general any showing outside of home/personal setting is considered a public performance and requires a license/ permission from the rights holder. The one exception is the "face to face " teaching exemption, this allows full length films to be used in classes under the following conditions, the film is shown in a classroom or similar place of instruction, an instructor is present, the film is part of a course syllabus and the only students allowed to view a film are students enrolled in the course. Bottom line you can show the film in a "real" class, any other screenings on campus even if they are for "educational purposes" do not charge admission, are not open to anyone off campus etc ARE in fact public performances that require a license. I have heard every excuse in the book over the years. In many cases they are from people or groups who are genuinely ignorant of the law which while not a legal defense makes me a little more inclined not to throw the book at them, but there are also people who very deliberately break the law claiming everything from "they are helping more people see the movie" to it is really a "class" it just has no syllabus, papers, instructor or class sessions outside of the film showings.
Again this is not much of a gray. Technically even something like an academic conference would not be considered face to face as it is not a specific class of enrolled students though most companies are happy to waive this. Bottom line is that the film showing is part of aregular , real class, limited to students specifically enrolled in that class and shown in a classroom or similar room it is covered by the face to face exemption, ANYTHING else is a public performance. One side note. The number of students in the class makes no difference. It is an intro class at a large school with 400 students it would still be covered by face to face. On Tue, Aug 9, 2011 at 11:46 AM, Chris Markman <cmark...@clarku.edu> wrote: > As a matter of practicality, where is the cut off between public and > private screenings in an academic setting? Is it the facilities, funding, > advertising, intended audience, or all of the above? > > Chris Markman > Resource Library Coordinator > Visual & Performing Arts > Clark University > 508.793.7481 > cmark...@clarku.edu > > > On Tue, Aug 9, 2011 at 9:51 AM, Shoaf,Judith P <jsh...@ufl.edu> wrote: > >> This discussion reminded me of an event in my freshman year. Kenneth >> Clark's Civilisation series had recently been shown on TV, I think, but not >> many undergrads had (or cared to have, except maybe at 6 pm) television >> access. The university sponsored a showing of the series as films projected >> on the big screen--where the images were ravishing and the event really had >> a community feeling (definitely more than 50 people there every evening!). I >> suppose they rented rather than purchased the films. (A few years later, my >> husband and I bonded over a similar showing of the restored Astaire-Rogers >> RKO films.) >> >> >> >> Since Civilisation was I think long featured in Ambrose Media's >> collection, I think of that when I think of the combination of institutional >> price + limited PPR that Ambrose sells. Of course showing a videotape of an >> older series to 50 students is not at all the same as the "event" quality I >> am recalling. Nowadays the event tends to be the actual broadcast, which >> gathers people in common areas with TV viewing (or something like the Met's >> HD opera broadcasts, which form local & virtual communities). >> >> >> >> But memories like that do lead me to support the idea of film societies >> *with budgets*! >> >> >> >> Judy Shoaf >> >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic >> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in >> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as >> an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of >> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video >> producers and distributors. >> >> > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > > -- Jessica Rosner Media Consultant 224-545-3897 (cell) 212-627-1785 (land line) jessicapros...@gmail.com
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
