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If I purchase or rent a video or copy it from a television broadcast, I can show it to my class.

Most videos, whether purchased or rented, are licensed only for private, individual viewing --- and videos which you copy from a live broadcast are certainly not meant to be used outside your home!  Even if you do not charge a direct admission fee, showing a video to a group in public is considered a performance. For a fee, a vendor selling to an educational institution will include "public performance rights" in the contract of sale or rental.

Also, the Copyright Act allows for the copying of audio or video clips for use in an educational setting for a limited period of time without payment of royalty fees.  News broadcasts, for instance, may be copied and shown to students for up to one year after broadcast, and all other broadcasts (e.g., documentaries) may be held and viewed for up tp thirty days.  In both cases, the copying must be fully documented and after the prescribed period of time, the copies must be erased or a royalty paid.  You can review the off-air taping regulations and download appropriate forms here.  Please return completed forms to Veronica Hicks, Montgomery Hall.

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