Legal Question in Entertainment Law in Minnesota

DVD showing in public

Is it legal to show a ''home'' copy of a purchased or rented DVD to a large group of people in public if no admission is charged? The group of people would be possibly 25 to 100 people in a small town. The movie would be any movie available in DVD, shown at the community center. Could the name of the movie be advertised in the local newspaper? Again, there would be NO admission fee. It would be advertised as a free community event. Would any royalty or fee be due the studio or copyright holder?

Thanks for any help/advice you can provide.


Asked on 11/03/05, 9:48 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
David Anderson Anderson Business Law LLC

Re: DVD showing in public

You need to obtain "public performance rights" to show a copyrighted DVD to the public, even without charging admission. Choose the DVD you wish to show, then contact the distributor (listed on DVD). You will need permission and will likely have to pay an additional fee.

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Answered on 11/04/05, 7:31 am


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