Public Performance Rights (PPR) grant the legal right to show a film or other media publicly. Without obtaining PPR, showing a film in a public setting violates the owner's copyright. Obtaining the rights for a public performance prevents possible legal action.
A public performance is one that is "open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered." (17 USC 106)
This includes screening outside of the regular curriculum in the classroom, such as showing films for extracurricular events, or sponsored events by a center, a club, or organizations.
Viewing a film at home or in the classroom "in the course of face-to-face teaching activities" as part of the regular curriculum is not considered a public performance (17 USC 110).
(Credit: Based on materials by Wright State University Libraries.)
Your license to most personal streaming services, such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Max, Microsoft Video, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, etc., are for personal / family use only, and do not cover public group showings.
Exception: Netflix has a very small number of Netflix-produced education documentaries which can be shown in educational settings.
If you have not acquired Public Performance Rights, copyright law does not allow for public performances by owning a basic DVD.
Some of the library's streaming videos and DVDs allow for limited "Public Performance Rights" (PPR). Without PPR, library licenses provide for viewing in courses and individual viewing by current students, faculty and staff. Most commonly, library licenses with additional PPR rights usually allow CSU Stanislaus to show the video to groups at university events for educational purposes and where admission is not charged.The following collections/vendors provide limited PPR to CSU Stanislaus for all/most of the titles licensed via their site:
Video Streaming Service |
Public Performances for Educational Purposes Allowed |
Terms and Conditions for Public Performances |
|---|---|---|
| AVON / Alexander Street Press |
Yes (if no admission or fees charged) |
Terms and Conditions for ASP |
| Films on Demand |
Yes (if no admission or fees charged) |
Terms and Conditions for Films on Demand |
| Kanopy |
Yes for most titles, with some exceptions. (Look for the PPR indicator on the detailed Kanopy description screen. See the Kanopy instructions on how to identify titles with PPR.) |
Terms and Conditions for Kanopy |
| Library DVDs and DSL licenses: Yes for campus activities (if no admission or fees charged) | FAQ for California Newsreel. | |
| Media Education Foundation | Library DVDs and Perpetual Licenses: Yes (if no admission charged) | PPR for MEF films. |
| New Day Films | On campus for educational purposes if no admission is charged. | New Day Terms of Service. |
| Women Make Movies | Library DVDs and streaming titles: Yes (if no admission or fees charged and held on campus). | Women Make Movies Policies. |
| Representation Project | On campus events only (if no admission is charged). | Representation Project whole school license. |
| Video Project | Screen the film within the organization (on-campus) with no admission or fees charged. | Video Project Licensing |
| Other Library Streaming Video |
Limited PPR available for some titles. If PPR is available, it may be noted in OneSearch (under the link to the streaming site), or check with a librarian.
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Age of Love |
Streaming for current students, faculty, and staff for educational purposes, Does not include screenings for public or educational conferences. | Educational License information. |
See the list of individual library videos with limited PPR rights for some individual titles.
While most DVDs do not come with PPR, some Library DVDs purchased from a very small number of educational documentary producers have included limited PPR rights. Please contact a librarian if you would like to check on the status of a video.
Titles licensed for classroom or campus use via Swank Digital Campus do not usually come with PPR, but Swank College Campus Events offers PPR licenses at significantly higher costs.
It is the responsibility of any individual or group to secure public performance rights when showing a film.
Public Performance Rights for most videos need to be licensed from the copyright holder or their agent. Most commercial films are available via Swank or Criterion, while some educational documentary producers license Public Performance Rights from their vendor/producer sites.
Commercial Motion Pictures
Public Performance licenses available for commercial films and television programs from many/most commercial studios, including Disney, Warner Brothers, MGM, Columbia Picutres, and NBC Universal.
Please note: the few Swank Digital Campus titles allow for showing these library-licensed titles in classroom or class-related individual viewing and do not come with rights to show videos at group events. (I..e., they do not include Public Performance Rights.)
Educational Documentary Video
Educational documentary video producers sometimes license their content via Swank, but more often have their own licensing system. This can be through own production house or through an educational documentary cooperative like California Newsreel, Media Education Foundation, New Day, etc. If a title is not listed in Swank, you can check with the individual producer/distributor for public performance terms, which can vary greatly.
This Copyright Guide is provided by the University Library as an educational service. The information contained in this guide is not legal advice. Stan State organizations and individuals should consult with the CSU Legal Counsel or their own attorney.
What are Public Performance Rights section partially based on materials by Wright State University Libraries.
Please submit any questions and feedback regarding these collections to: videos@library.csustan.edu