youTube & Showing movies

[kinggrunt]

We are a PTA for a community school, we have 2 activities coming up, and I need some guidance and advice on both.

Activities:

1. Disney Quiz. We are planning on doing a disney quiz, play little clips of songs, and guess what movie. Simple things like this. I was gonna make it in iMovie and upload it to youtube and play the youtube clip during the quiz.

2. Movie night. We would like to play a movie for the kids. Ideally it would be good to buy one or rent one off itunes and then play it in the school. I know this is a huge no no due to copyright, therefore how can we get around this, and who do we register with to play a movie?

thanks in advanced.

Geraint

[AndyJ]

Hi Geraint,
I think that your use of short clips as part of the questions would be OK but I would advise against uploading anything to Youtube. There are two reasons for saying this. Firstly big companies like Disney continually monitor the content on Youtube and Vimeo etc for anything to which they own the rights, using sophistcated programs to spot music and video sequences, and if they do find something they will issue an automatic takedown notice, so in all likelihood, your clip wouldn't be there when you wanted to play it during the quiz. Secondly, by putting the compilation on line you are clearly putting the video where the public has access, whereas if you merely run the clips from your laptop via a video projector within the school premises, it is possible that you can claim exemption under section 32 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act:

32 Things done for purposes of instruction or examination.

(1)Copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is not infringed by its being copied in the course of instruction or of preparation for instruction, provided the copying—

• (a) is done by a person giving or receiving instruction,
  
  (b) is not done by means of a reprographic process, and
  
  (c) is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgement,

and provided that the instruction is for a non-commercial purpose.

(2) Copyright in a sound recording, film or broadcast is not infringed by its being copied by making a film or film sound-track in the course of instruction, or of preparation for instruction, in the making of films or film sound-tracks, provided the copying—

• (a) is done by a person giving or receiving instruction, and
  
  (b) is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgement,

and provided that the instruction is for a non-commercial purpose.

(2A) Copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work which has been made available to the public is not infringed by its being copied in the course of instruction or of preparation for instruction, provided the copying—

• (a) is fair dealing with the work,
  
  (b) is done by a person giving or receiving instruction,
  
  (c) is not done by means of a reprographic process, and
  
  (d) is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgement.

[ ... ]

This is a bit tenuous, but when you consider that a quiz held under these circumstances will be confined to quite a small audience, you vastly reduce the opportunity for the rights owners to be able to object.

As for showing a full length film, you are entirely correct that this may not be done without a licence. However you should check with the school as they may already be licenced for this sort of thing. If not then the first port of call should be the MPLC