- For one of my courses, I have to provide a presentation to my instructor and classmates. Do I need a licence to show a scene from a movie or TV show as part of my presentation?
- No. If the performance takes place in your classroom and is presented primarily to University students or instructors for educational purposes, and the copy of the movie or TV show was not obtained from an unlawful source, you do not need to obtain permission from the copyright owner.
- I live on campus and would like to watch a movie or TV show with my housemates in the common area. Do I need a licence?
- As long as the showing is “private” (that is, essentially limited to your private circle of friends or housemates) you should not need a licence. However, if you advertise the showing or invite a wider audience that could not reasonably be understood to be private, different considerations may apply and a licence may be required.
- My student organization wants to host a movie night for U of T students and charge an admission fee. Do I need a licence?
- Yes. Even if the audience is limited to students of the University, the event is being held for recreational purposes, not for educational or training, and a licence is therefore required. Charging an admission fee may also mean that the use is “for profit” or with a “motive of gain”, a further bar to reliance […]
- What if I don’t charge an admission for the movie night?
- Even if the event is “not for profit” and without “motive of gain”, the movie is being shown for recreational purposes, not for education or training, and a licence will still be required.
- What if the movie I plan to show was released more than 70 years ago?
- The term of copyright is determined by reference to the life of the author, not the release or publication of the work. Copyright subsists for the life of the author plus 70 years. Identifying the “author” of an audiovisual work is not always easy, since many people (director, screenwriter, producer, etc.) will have contributed to […]
- Do I need a licence to show a movie to fellow members of my student organization to facilitate debate and discussion within our group?
- It is possible that a movie shown by a student group to its members to facilitate educational debate and discussion within the group (for example, a documentary about discrimination shown by an LGBTQ+ club to an audience consisting only of its members, without charging admission) might constitute fair dealing for the purposes of education, research […]
- I would like to organize a social event for students and members of the public that will include showing a movie or TV show, either for free or for a fee. Do I need a licence?
- Yes. Because the social event is not primarily for University students, and the showing is for recreational purposes rather than for education or training, a licence will be required. It makes no difference whether or not an admission fee is charged.
- I would like to organize an event at which short excepts from various movies and TV shows are shown on multiple screens for ambiance. Do I need a licence?
- It depends on whether the excerpts you plan to show are “substantial parts” of the larger works. You should not presume that even short excerpts of a long movie are not “substantial” – this is a question of fact that needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis and may require expert advice.
- Who can I contact for more information?
- St. GeorgeStudent Life: Clubs & Leadership DevelopmentEmail: groups.officer@utoronto.caPhone: 416-946-7780In-person: Sussex Court, 21 Sussex Avenue, Room 516 (Recommended: email or phone ahead to make an appointment) University of Toronto MississaugaCentre for Student EngagementEmail: studentgroups.utm@utoronto.caPhone: 905-828-3753In-person: William G. Davis Building, 1867 Inner Circle, Room 2075C (Recommended: email ahead to make an appointment) University of Toronto ScarboroughOffice of Student Experience and WellbeingEmail: campusgroups.utsc@utoronto.caPhone: […]