| IMS Copyright Information |
Pennsylvania State University and Media Technology Support Services adheres to the United States' Copyright Law (Public Law 94-533) of 1976 as amended, and urge all members of the Penn State community to be aware of and abide by it. We also support the Off-Air Taping Guidelines for Educational Purposes as read into the Congressional record. Members of the University Community should note that the United States is a signatory to the Berne Convention as it pertains to copyrighted foreign programs. Only open broadcast programs may be recorded: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS etc. Pay services such as HBO, Cinemax, Disney, and free cable-only services such as Lifetime, USA, MTV, do not fall in the open broadcast category and cannot be taped. For information covering such copyright issues as instructional use of home video or fair-use guidelines for off-air taping, Penn State Faculty, Staff, and students may call 814-863-3100. The entire US copyright law is available from the Legal Information Institute of the Cornell University Law School.
Federal copyright legislation dating back to 1976 makes it illegal to have a public showing without first obtaining the necessary Public Performance License. By law, prerecorded videocassettes and and videodiscs available in stores throughout the United States are for HOME USE ONLY. Sales or rentals of prerecorded videocassettes and videodiscs from retail stores or other sources DO NOT confer any public performance rights.
The U.S. Copyright Act grants to the copyright owner the exclusive right, among others, "to perform the copyrighted workpublicly," in other words the right to view the material exclusively in your own home (United States Code, Title 17, Sections 101 and 106). Even "performances in 'semi-public places' such as clubs, lodges, factories summer camps and schools are 'public performances subject tocopyright control" (Senate Report No. 94-473, page 60: House Report No.94 -1476, page 64).
Accordingly, without a separate license from the copyright owner, it is a violation of Federal law to exhibit prerecorded videocassettes and videodiscs beyond the scope of the family and its social acquaintances- regardless whether admission is charged. Ownership of a prerecorded videocassette or videodisc does not constitute ownership of a copyright (United States Code, Title 17, Section 202).
For more details about the U.S. Copyright Code, please visit the Legal Information Institute of the Cornell University Law School.