Copyright law extends protection to multimedia, including DVDs, computer files (mp3, mp4, etc), streaming services, and more.
Copyright law for multimedia is very similar to that of print materials. Just like you can't scan and distribute an entire textbook, you can't screen a film without the screening rights. This includes materials that you own or get access through a streaming service, such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, or others.
Much like other concepts of copyright law, determining when to screen a motion picture can be confusing. This page will give some case-by-case examples of situations where you may want to screen a film.
Scenario 1
You can your buddies like to decompress after a long week of classes by gathering with your friends in an on-campus apartment and watching a classic movie. You have a core group of friends who join, but sometimes they bring other friends and it becomes a larger gathering than intended. You begin to wonder if you are violating the film screening rights.
Scenario 1: Personal Use.
Even though the gathering is larger than you intended it still takes place in a private space (an apartment) and it is not open to the public.
Scenario 2
As a campus club, you want to raise money for your club's activities. You propose renting out a dorm lobby and screening a movie. Your club mates like the idea and decide to invite the whole campus and charge a $2 admission. They decide to screen a movie that you have a physical copy of through a DVD.
Scenario 2: Needs Screening Rights
Even though you own the DVD, you still need to pay for the screening rights because it is open to the public and you are charging admission. Even if you didn't charge admission you would still have to purchase screening rights because it is a public event.
You can screen movies in your classroom as long as the situation meets the following requirements:
Can I use a streaming service (Netflix, HULU, Disney+, etc) to show a film under educational exemption?
No, you can not stream a film off of a streaming service to show to your class, even if it counts as educational use. The terms of service for streaming platforms state that the content is licensed for private, home use only, and CANNOT be viewed by anyone beyond personal use.
You can still assign these films to your students, but they have to watch from their own account either subscription or free trial.
Are there any films I can screen legally on these sites?
Yes! Netflix has recently released a list of films that have been granted an educational license to screen in classrooms. View how to search these materials from the link below.
Scenario 1
You teach a history course about the American Civil War. You want to screen an episode of the documentary series, Ken Burn's Civil War for your class. You believe that the content of the documentary covers the curriculum or the goals for the course as outlined in the syllabus. You decide to screen the episode during your scheduled class time.
Scenario 1: Educational Exemption
You can screen the episode for the class because it directly relates to the class goals or curriculum. You can screen it during class time, but you could also screen it outside of class as long as no one who isn't registered for the class is invited. You must screen the film from a physical DVD, not from a streaming service.
Scenario 2
You teach in the psychology department with multiple different faculty members. You recently watched the movie Inside Out and you think it would be a great thing to show your students because it encapsulates the foundational ideas of psychology. You tell your colleague the idea and they suggest having a psych department event where you pop popcorn and invite all psych majors to watch the movie. You love the idea and run with it.
Scenario 2: Need to purchase screening rights
Even though the event is limited just to the psych department, you have to purchase screening rights because you are screening the movie outside of a classroom with clear goals stated in the syllabus. The film is not being used to illustrate a particular concept in a single course; instead, it is being used as an opportunity to gather students from across the major.
To host a public screening of a film on campus that is not in the Public Domain, you must purchase screening rights. A public performance includes any non-classroom campus activities of 15 or more people. To purchase screening rights visit one of these sites:
