One more thing before I sleep - movies in classrooms

[velvetpage]

Technically, it's illegal for me to bring a movie from my personal collection and show it at school. I have a personal home-use licence on that movie, not a public viewing licence, and a school is considered public viewing even if we're not charging for it.

I think this law is ridiculous and impossible to enforce, but it's on the books. I also think that most schools would agree to pay a small amount more for a copy that was licensed for classroom use - classroom use being a different category from general-public use. I'm sure most schools would be willing to pay, say, $30 for a DVD they could get for $20 without the licence, in order to be on the right side of the law. But that requires an update in copyright legislation, and copyright legislation is not going towards making thing easier for the consumer these days. In fact, there's a law being debated in Canada right now that would make transfering music from my CD to my computer to my MP3 player illegal, even if the original CD was legally purchased.

Any thoughts?

Comments

[etherlad.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the new copyright law (http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/1447/273/) would remove the concept of fair use entirely, which is ridiculous. I should be able to do whatever I want, within reason, with the media I buy. The value of the content I'm buying is in the message, not the medium. If I buy a CD with songs on it, it's the songs I'm after, and I should be able to listen to them however I want. Particularly with the media levees we're paying.

Even if the law passes, it doesn't look like it's really going to be enforced, though. As it is, the RCMP has declared (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ledevoir.com%2F2007%2F11%2F08%2F163562.html&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8) that they're not going after personal filesharers, because it isn't worth their time. "It is too easy to copy these days and we do not know how to stop it." I can only imagine that this will be doubly so once even more people are considered criminals.

[toad-hall.livejournal.com]

This was one of my former jobs -- you need, depending on who makes the video - a copy of the movie with Public Performance Rights Included (PPR) or in the case of say Disney movies for just one example, the school/board needs to purchase either an annual subscription for PPR or a per use basis.

[toad-hall.livejournal.com]

oh and since it's been a few years, they may not have the subscription or per-use basis anymore - I know that only a few video publishers were still allowing it and you had to purchase a certificate for each copy since DVD made the cost of purchase so affordable to schools

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Am I right in thinking there is no difference made between a non-profit and for-profit public performance? Like, with public performance rights, we could charge money to get in and not be violating those terms?

[toad-hall.livejournal.com]

It really depends on the individual contracts. Each publisher has different terms and conditions -- PBS was different than Paramount or DIsney say. Having an Educational/library PPR (at least when I was doing this) did not allow you to charge admission. THere are ways to get around this. Really expensive popcorn was one way.
here's one explanation of it.
http://www.criterionpic.com/cpl/lcl_frequentlyaskedques.html

[toad-hall.livejournal.com]

also, my understanding is that more and more schools are purchasing location licenses rather than purchasing individual films with PPR (which was the standard when I was doing this)

[lovmelovmycats.livejournal.com]

I am so glad that I have copied some of my CDs onto my computer, because sometimes the CDs subsequently get scratched or damaged, and I would be out $20.00 if I hadn't copied the music. Sometimes my CDs and DVDs just quit on me without any visible damage or any incident I can think of that would cause it.

[neosis.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty vehemently against that law. People who want to take the people's fair use rights away had better beware. Jailing people for unreasonable reasons is a good way to get yourself a good old case of civil unrest, political change and eventually violent reprisal if the first two don't work.

It's a bad, bad law.

[grrl-next-door.livejournal.com]

what??? that's ridiculous!!
ha, I must be a real badass. cuz for DQPA and teaching my kids a halloween dance, I not only brought the CDs from home, but also downloaded some of hte songs it off the web (tsk tsk).

is it illegal to show a movie that you rented? I've seen teachers do that all the time.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Yes, that is illegal, too. Rental copies are licenced for personal home use only, so unless the school has purchased a site licence, it's illegal.

I pay for the songs I download, mostly. I figure for the amount of music I buy, I can afford a few bucks here and there to support an artist. But when I download it, I expect to be able to use it in whatever format my legally-purchased technology allows for, up to and including playing it for my class.

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

I used to do 8mm film shows at Christmas at my sisters school to give most of the teachers a chance to chill....

in my experience teachers never want to pay... f'r instance my sister wanted "The Little Mermaid" - I'd just bought a copy off EBay.
Just as well the beggar was a bootleg for I never saw it again.....