Public Performance Rights
Purchasing Public Performance Licenses May be Needed to Show Films
Public performance rights are the legal rights held by distributors or producers over the showing of a film outside of one's home. The rights-holder can grant others the temporary
right to show the film by selling them or granting them a public performance license.
Anytime a film is shown outside a person's home, the screening is considered "public". It does not matter if admission is charged or if the entity screening the film is a non-profit
organization, school, or library. If the film is being shown outside the home, it is considered "public".
The Copyright Act allows films to be screened in face-to-face teaching situations defined by specific criteria. To be eligible for the teaching exemption, the screening is limited to
students who are enrolled in a class in which the film is a part of systematic mediated instructional activities, the instructor is present, and the screening is an integral part of
the classroom session. Playing films for the department, for honors students, or as a "film series" or lecture series does not qualify for the teaching exemption, but requires a public
performance license. A completed
Classroom Related Motion Picture Viewing form
must accompany the licensing agreement.
Most tapes and DVDs are sold without public performance rights, but some tapes and DVDs are sold with limited public performance rights. They may enable you to play the tape/DVD for
its lifetime in public screenings on your campus. However, you may not copy the tape/DVD or lend the tape/DVD to other institutions or organizations, or charge admission for the
screenings you hold with that tape/DVD. These rules may vary, so check carefully with the distributor when purchasing.
The cost to purchase public performance licensing for a film varies by age of the film, popularity of the film, and at times the distributor. Films that are 6 months to 1 year old can
be $450-$650. Films 1 year to 3 years old can be $350-$450. Films older than 3 years can be $250-$350. Specialty films (documentaries & art house films) can be $0-$250. However,
specialty films can be very difficult to find the proper licensing holder.
