Ethical Use of Information: Showing DVDs/Videos

This is permitted without permission under the face-to-face teaching exemption as long as the movie has an instructional purpose related to the course, is shown only to students enrolled in the course, and is lawfully obtained. (See 17 U.S.C. § 110)

Clark Library eVideo collections:

Subscription services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and HBO have detailed membership agreements that prescribe how their content can be used. When you agree to the terms of membership, you enter into a contract and must abide by the contractual terms. 

Documentaries on Netflix

You might need to obtain a public performance rights (PPR) license. Public performance rights give the holder the legal right to show a copyright-protected DVD, Video, or TV program to the public. Usually one of these services manages these rights: 

Do the films in the Clark Library include Public Performance Rights (PPR)?

Yes, some of the DVDs and Videos owned by the Clark Library include Public Performance Rights:

• Academic Video Online - Films (except those from "Film Platform") include limited public performance rights, as long as admission is not charged (more information)
• Docuseek - Films may be screened on campus to a group when admission is not charged and there is no advertising outside the learning community (more information)
• Films on Demand - Films have public performance rights as long as admission is not charged (more information)
• Kanopy - Films with public performance rights have a PPR icon on the details page; use the the "Public Performance" filter on the search results page to find films with public performance rights (more information)

Please contact the Library to confirm that the movie or DVD you would like to use has public performance rights.

Public Performance Rights Are Required When:

• Persons attending are outside the normal circle of family and friends, such as a showing of a film by a club or organization, OR
• If the showing is for a campus club and/or the public is invited even if no fee is charged, OR
• If the showing will be on campus in a public space and access will not be restricted, such as a showing of a DVD for interested members of a class outside of class time.

Public Performance Rights Are Not Required When:

• You are privately viewing the film in your home or dorm room with only family and friends in attendance, OR
• If you are the instructor in a course and the film is an integral part of the course curriculum and only available to students in the face-to-face teaching classroom, OR
• If the film is in the public domain.

It is easy to find content on YouTube; however, not all content has been uploaded with the copyright owner's consent and therefore, can be taken down without notice.

To verify that content has been uploaded legally, look for rights and license statements accompanying the video, or examine the YouTube user’s profile. After verification, it is permissible to post a link or embed the YouTube video in Moodle; however, downloading the content is not. (See the YouTube terms of service.)