Te(a)ch

…from the Winter 2006 In Brief published by the Legal Services Department of the Maricopa Community Colleges…

Question: “I would like to show a movie in my class, bt the college does not own it. Do I have to get permission?”

Response: “A film, including one that is on a commercially produced tape or DVD, may be shown in a class without obtaining prior permission of the copyright holder. This is true not only for videos owned by the college, but also for videos owned by another person, such as the instructor, a student, or even a video rental store.

The law does impose several conditions, however, before the film may be shown. First, the videotape or DVD should be one that is commercially produced. An unauthorized copy of a film may not be used.

Additionally, the film may be presented without prior permission of the copyright holder only in a face-to-face setting.

Transmission of the film via the Internet or similar means would require prior permission of the copyright holder. Such a context would not be “face-to-face” teaching activities as contemplated by copyright law.

This exception to the law allowing the film to be shown in face-to-face instruction does not permit unauthorized copies of the film to be made for distribution to students.

Moreover, the exception would not apply to performances of the film in other campus locations. Showing the film to students in a student union or similar setting, for example, would require prior permission as well.”

Additional information can be found on the Copyright Guidelines page