What are Public Performance Rights?
According to the copyright laws set forth in Title 17 of the U.S. Code:
“Publication” is the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. The offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display, constitutes publication. A public performance or display of a work does not of itself constitute publication.
To perform or display a work “publicly” means—
(1) to perform or display it at a place 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; or
(2) to transmit or otherwise communicate a performance or display of the work to a place specified by clause (1) or to the public, by means of any device or process, whether the members of the public capable of receiving the performance or display receive it in the same place or in separate places and at the same time or at different times.
Showing a film to your friends or family in your home legal and showing a film in a face-to-face class is covered under Fair Use. However, showing a film to a group or organization outside the structure of a class may require public performance rights.
How do I acquire Public Performance Rights?
Public Performance Rights (PPR) ultimately rest with the copyright holder - often the film's production company. Many Hollywood production companies use Swank Motion Pictures, Inc or other distribution companies to manage PPR. Additionally, PPR is included in many, but not all, of the subscriptions the University of Iowa Libraries buys through streaming video vendors.
- Use the list on this page to find out if PPR is already included in our streaming subscription.
- While the UIowa Libraries cannot pay for one-time public performance rights, we may be able to help you find out who owns the PPR. Contact the Liaison Librarian for your academic department or another UI librarian for help.
When Do I Need PPR?
Situations that require Public Performance Rights include:
- events open to the public, including seminars and colloquia
- events occurring in public (i.e., non-classroom) space
- student club events
Note that showings cannot charge admission for attendance.
Subscribed Streaming Services with PPR
The UIowa Libraries licenses streaming video on a variety of platforms.
The following include Public Performance Rights to varying degrees; click the "more" link for relevant PPR information.
- Academic Video Online This link opens in a new windowAcademic Video Online delivers almost 80,000 titles spanning a wide range of subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more.
- Docuseek This link opens in a new windowDocuseek streams essential independent, social-issue and environmental films. The University of Iowa's collection includes the Docuseek2 Complete Collection™: Second Edition of 1,800 exclusive documentaries, as well as numerous other titles.
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowThe Films on Demand platform hosts both the World Cinema collection as well as other subscribed titles from Films Media Group.
- Kanopy Streaming This link opens in a new windowCustom online libraries of streaming videos from a variety of studios on a variety of subjects.
UIowa can subscribe to individual titles upon request.
PDA subscriptions include:
* Latin American Studies Collection - Swank Digital Campus This link opens in a new windowStreaming video titles, mostly feature films or television, the University of Iowa has licensed from the Swank Digital Campus collection of videos.
