Copyright and Fair Use

Public Performance Rights -- General Information

If you want to show a film or video for a conference, festival, educational program or other event, you probably need public performance rights (PPR). Because copyright law spells out quite specifically the requirements for an educational exception for the use of audiovisual material, most event programming falls outside the permitted uses. Copyright covers the playing or "performance" of these materials (as well as plays, music, etc.) because the creator of a work has the exclusive right to publicly perform the work. 

When Are Public Performance Rights Required?

The following situations DO NOT require public performance rights:

• individual viewing
• home viewing with family or a few friends
• classroom viewing (as long as you meet the educational exception) 
• viewing in small groups (as in a group study room)

The following situations DO require public performance rights:

• movie nights sponsored by student clubs or other organizations
• film festivals
• events, meetings or programs on campus

If an event entails showing clips or limited portions of films, this use may qualify under fair use.

What about the Library?

The library DOES NOT pay for public performance rights (PPR) on most of the audiovisual material we buy. Many companies do not sell blanket PPR licenses, nor would we need them for most of our material, which are used in classes or by individuals. We do buy them for a few select titles, if they are available as a one-time purchase.

The library can help you identify whether a specific title owned by the library has PPR.