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Film and Video Copyright

Copyright Law 

Everyone needs a license to screen a film for the public. According to the copyright code, anytime a film is "display[ed] at a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered," (Title 17, U.S. Code), you must acquire public performance rights. This holds true whether or not you are charging admission.

What are Public Performance Rights (PPR)?
Films are protected by copyright law and generally are not sold with a license for public performance (this means showing a movie/film in a dorm, auditorium, or any other kind of public space).   

Anytime you want to show a film in these circumstances, you will need to obtain public performance rights (PPR).  

The only exception to this is when an instructor shows a film in a classroom to the students enrolled in that class. 

Your Options for Showing Films/Movies

• Arrange with ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é Cinema Group to show the film as part of their series so that the copyrights and public performance licenses are acquired legally.
• Contact WCSA and pay the appropriate fee to acquire the rights to show the film of your choice (generally, this fee ranges from $500 to $900, depending on the film). The library may also be willing to purchase the film outright if the film has public performance rights; the library would then add this film to its collection for others to use.
• Search to determine if the Library owns a DVD of the film you’re interested in showing or if we have streaming access to it.  Look for this: Includes public performance rights (PPR) to determine if we have Public Performance Rights (PPR) for the film.  Many of the streaming media titles that we subscribe to will include PPR, but not all of them.  Search for Public Performance Rights (PPR) to select from streaming titles available there. Contact Tom Clifford for assistance in locating a film with PPR that is appropriate for your event. With enough lead time, the library may be able to purchase a film not already in the collection. 
• Contact the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum or the Little Theatre to request a private showing of a film. There is a fee for this service.

Each year, books, films and other copyrighted works enter the US Public Domain.  In 2023, copyrighted works from 1927 have entered the US Public Domain.  See for a select list of these films.  Unfortunately, there is no single method for determining if a film, or parts of it, is in the public domain. This is an incomplete , which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completion

Contact 

If you are looking to purchase rights to a film/movie, please contact Wilson Commons Student Activities.  Please consult your group's advisor to ensure compliance when planning a film program on campus.