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 You have probably discovered that one way to occupy a child's time during those surprise rainy days or special birthday parties is by entertaining them with a movie. Maybe you occasionally sponsor family movie nights for your children's families or teach a lesson about life through visual media. As innocent as they sound, these instances constitute copyright infringement and are a violation of the Federal Copyright Act.
Many child care centers have already received information from Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) which states that those videos, normally bought or rented from local retail stores such as Blockbuster or WalMart, are only licensed for use in the home. When they are shown outside of the home, they must be licensed separately. Even if you own the videocassette, it is still licensed for “home use only” as stated on all home videocassettes.
Must we stop using videos? Absolutely not! MPLC has been working with CDEA since 1995 to provide a 25% discount for its members. We are pleased to announce the formation of a new licensing agency, Christian Video Licensing International (CVLI), a partnership between MPLC and Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) to further serve the religious community.
From this point forward, the license for religious-based child care centers will be issued by CVLI. The CVLI license includes over 55 affiliated studios, ranging from major Hollywood studios such as Disney and Warner Brothers to religious producers such as Tommy Nelson and EO International. These new Christian producers are in addition to the existing list of MPLC licensed producers and provide your center with one all-encompassing license service. Existing members of MPLC have already been notified of this change and need not re-apply.
The U.S. Copyright Act, Public Law 94-553, Title 17 of the United States Code, states that all home videocassette exhibitions outside one's personal residence are “public performances” and mandates that they be licensed. Non-compliance can subject infringers to statutory damages starting at $750 per exhibition. This legal requirement applies equally to profit and non-profit facilities, whether or not an admission is charged. CVLI provides the license that you need to comply with federal law.
The MPLC agreement has proven to be an excellent benefit for the hundreds of CDEA members who use videos in a variety of ways, for instance, as rainy day programming, evening entertainment, or as a teaching tool. As your colleagues are already aware, once you are licensed, your fee remains unchanged (except for possible CPI adjustments), representing a substantial cost savings.
If you have questions, please call either the CDEA at (904) 276-2071, visit the CVLI website at http:www.cvli.org or email info@mplc.com
Originally published News & Views: Caring For Children Child Development Education Alliance Vol. 7, Issue 6: Nov./Dec, 2001
Copyright 2001, Caring For Children, News & Views. Reprinted by permission.
Note: Not all Producers are available in every country. Please see the Producers List for those who are available in your country.
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