Licensing & Usage Information

When purchasing a video through Reframe, you are agreeing to the licensing terms established by the content holder. Unless specified otherwise, videos are intended for private, home viewing only. To learn more, please read the “Frequently Asked Questions” listed below.

This is intended as a guideline only and is not intended to be relied on by you.  For all legal questions or concerns, you are advised to consult with an experienced attorney familiar with licensing of intellectual property content. Reframe is not a legal advisor and this FAQ may not apply to every situation, and we expressly disclaim any liability you may have to the content holder or otherwise in connection with the licensing terms applicable to any video you purchase through Reframe. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between “home viewing only” and “institutional use”?
2. If a title on Reframe is being sold only for home viewing, how can I find out about purchasing institutional and/or performance rights?
3. If I purchase a product from Reframe that is licensed for home viewing only, may I use it in my classroom?
4. Are there special rules and/or exemptions for libraries in regards to home viewing only products?
5. Are the products for sale on Reframe licensed for usage outside of the United States?
6. If I am downloading a video digitally and it says it is for “Home Use Only,” may I screen it in my classroom?

1. What is the difference between “home viewing only” and “institutional use”?

If you purchase a video licensed for home viewing only and wish to show it in any other place or for any other use, you must obtain a separate license which specifically authorizes such use. The only exceptions to this rule are for certain non-profit educational and library uses, and these exceptions only apply in limited situations (see below, and refer to questions 3 & 4).

Below are some simple rules about home use versus public performance rights that are detailed in the federal Copyright Act, as amended, Title 17 of the United States Code. According to The Copyright Act, only the copyright owner holds the exclusive right, among others, “to perform the copyrighted work publicly.” (Section 106) In summary, the Copyright Act mandates:

• Videos may be shown without a separate license in the home to “a normal circle of family and its social acquaintances” (Section 101) because such showings are not considered “public.”
• Videos may be shown without a license for non-profit educational purposes and in certain narrowly defined “face-to-face teaching activities” because the law provides limited exceptions for such showings.(See question 3.) (Section 110(1).
• All other public performances of videos are illegal unless they have been authorized by license from the rights holder.   Even “performances in ‘semipublic’ places such as clubs, lodges, factories, summer camps and schools are ‘public performances’ subject to copyright control.” (Senate Reprt No. 94-473, page 60; House Report No. 94-1476, page 64).
• Both for-profit organizations and non-profit institutions must secure a license to show videos, regardless of whether an admission fee is charged. (Senate Report No. 94-473, page 59; House Report No. 94-1476, page 62)

Source: Condensed from the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPCL) "About U.S. Copyright Law"

2. If a title on Reframe is being sold only for home viewing, how can I find out about purchasing institutional and/or performance rights?

For independent films, the home video distribution company may either own or know who owns the institutional and public performance rights.  However, it is often easiest to contact the filmmaker or production company who produced the film.

For films from major distributors, the institutional and public performance rights may often be purchased by contacting these two licensing agencies: 

• Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) [email protected]
• Movie Licensing USA [email protected]

3. If I purchase a product from Reframe that is licensed for home viewing only, may I use it in my classroom?

According to many, including the American Library Association, under specific conditions, purchased or rented pre-recorded video programs may be used in the classroom of a non-profit educational institution.

The conditions that must be satisfied are:

• The performance must be by instructors or by pupils.
• The performance is in connection with face-to-face teaching activities.
• The entire audience is involved in the teaching activity.
• The entire audience is in the same room or same general area.
• The teaching activities are conducted by a non-profit education institution.
• The performance takes place in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction.
• The person responsible for the performance has no reason to believe that the video product was unlawfully made.

Source: American Library Association - Video and Copyright Fact Sheet

We recommend consulting an Intellectual Property attorney if you are unsure whether your use qualifies.

4. Are there special rules and/or exemptions for libraries in regards to home viewing only products?

According to the American Library Association, here are some copyright rules that apply specifically to libraries:

Loan/Rental of Videos - Libraries may loan/rent videos to patrons for their personal use. This is true even if the video is labeled "For Home Use Only." According to The Copyright Primer for Librarians and Educators, Second Edition by Janis H. Bruwelheide (p. 51), "a library or school that resells, rents, or lends a copy of a copyrighted videotape, which it owns, is not infringing on the copyright owner's rights." Some guidelines to follow when loaning/renting a video to a patron:

• Libraries should not obscure (i.e., cover or deface) the copyright notice as it appears on the producer's label.
• Libraries should not knowingly loan a video to groups for use in public performances. If a patron inquires about a planned performance of a video, he or she should be informed that only private uses of it are lawful.
• Libraries can charge a nominal fee for use of videos. According to Bruwelheide, "The fact that a fee is charged is irrelevant; the right to distribute a copy includes the right to rent it — for a fee or deposit or otherwise."

Library Use of Videotapes - Most public performances of a video in a public room (including library meeting rooms), whether or not a fee is charged, would be an infringement. Such performances require a performance license from the copyright owner. The only exception would be educational programs meeting all seven requirements listed above in Question 3.

Libraries which allow groups to use or rent their public meeting rooms should, as part of their agreement, require the group to warrant that it will secure all necessary performance licenses and indemnify the library for any failure on their part to do so.

Libraries that permit patrons to watch videos in private viewing rooms must strictly limit the viewing to one individual or a very small group and should not levy charges or fees.

Previewing a video before borrowing it could be considered by some to be an infringement if done in public areas of a library. Therefore previewing should be done in a private space.

Notices may be posted on video recorders or players used in the library to educate and warn patrons about the existence of the copyright laws.

Source: American Library Association - Video and Copyright Fact Sheet

5. Are the products for sale on Reframe licensed for usage outside of the United States?

Reframe videos are only licensed for usage in the United States, its territories and possessions (including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

6. If I am downloading a video digitally and it says it is for “Home Use Only,” may I screen it in my classroom?

The same rules apply as in question #3.