Find answers here to some frequently asked questions about public performance rights.  If you still have questions after reading through this documentation, please feel free to contact Graham Coursey (courseyg@kenyon.edu) for more information or assistance.

Q: Do public performance rights transfer to another institution if an off-campus patron borrows a film owned by Kenyon College?
A: In general, no.  Public performance rights purchased by Kenyon College are valid only for free screenings held on the Kenyon College campus only.

Q: May I charge admission to a screening?
A: No. Films for which Kenyon purchases public performance rights may be used only for non-commercial purposes.  Admission may not be charged.

Q: May I advertise my screening?
A: You may advertise a non-commercial, on-campus screening through e-mail (e.g., allstu, allemp), posters, or through posters placed on-campus.  Off-campus advertising is not permissible.  

Q: May I use my own copy of a film for an advertised, on-campus screening?
A: No. You would need to rent a copy of the film with public performance rights. Personal ownership of a copy of a film does not give you the right to screen it in a public setting. If you need to rent and secure PPR for a film, please consult the tab labeled "Obtaining PPR For Films Not Owned By The Library." If you fail to do this and use your own copy for a public screening, you are breaking the law.

Q: May I show a film that I've taped or DVRed?     
A: Generally, no. Films acquired in this way are for personal use only.

Q: Do I need to secure public performance rights for a film that I plan to show in class?
A: No. As long as the film relates in an obvious way to the subject being taught, you may use non-PPR films in class.  This is known as the "face-to-face teaching exemption." (See below.)

"Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106, the following is not an infringement of copyright: (1) performance or display of a work by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities of a nonprofit educational institution, in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction, unless, in the case of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, the performance, or the display of individual images, is given by means of a copy that was not lawfully made under this title, and that the person responsible for the performance knew or had reason to believe was not lawfully made..."

(Title 17, U.S.C., Copyrights, Section 110 (1), Limitations on exclusive rights: Exemption of certain performances and displays)