if I buy a dvd film canI show it in our private members club free of charge and if I do am I violating any law

Question

the film was will only be shown for members and guests and we are interested if it mainly violates copyright laws

Answer 1

I am fairly certain that you would actually be infringing copyright.

I have extracted the following from a leaflet on piracy:

"Illegal Public Screenings

The showing in public, such as in a pub, club, hotel or
other licensed premises, of an unauthorised copy of a
movie or programme, including a DVD, is an offence,
if the person showing the work knew or had reason to believe that copyright would be infringed.
In the Magistrates’ Court, the penalty for this offence is
a maximum fine of £5,000 and/or 6 months’
imprisonment."

I have also taken this from videostandards.org FAQ:

"Is it OK for a school to show a video to a class of children?
No, unless it is for genuine educational purposes. If it is not for genuine educational purposes the approval of the copyright owner must be obtained as otherwise such a showing would be an illegal public performance."

The taking of money is not relevant. It is the act of screening the DVD that potentially violates copyright.

Answer 2

Not so fast.

Unless you acquire the tapes with public performance rights you will be breaking the copyright law. You cannot just buy a DVD and show it because these copies are not licensed for public performance. Even if you do not charge an admission for the movie you are still breaking the law.

In order to be legal you have to get the tape or DVD from a vendor that rents you the movie with public performance rights. This can be expensive and may cost hundreds of dollars per tape. The only exception to this rule is if an instructor shows the video in a classroom and the activity is a teaching activity and not recreation or entertainment. This situation would not be considered a violation of copyright law.

Answer 3

Well, I'll be honest and admit there's really nothing that I could watch every day and not get sick of it. However, my favorite film that I ever bought on DVD was the Director's cut of "Amadeus". I had seen the movie many times before the director's cut came out, and when that version came out, it was a TOTALLY different movie than the one everyone had been shown for so long. Usually director's cuts have a few differences that really aren't VERY significant, but the differences in this film were unbelievable. It was almost like a whole new story.

Answer 4

Technically you are breaking the law but the chances of any prosecution is so remote that it's probably best not to worry about it. There are far more pressing issues in regards to film piracy than a few people having a screening of it.

Plus, if it's a private members club, how could anyone obtain evidence that you were showing it?

Answer 5

That would depend on if the private club had some sort of intiation fee and the movie could be construed as an incentive to get profit. With all the truly bad things that go on in the world, like drug addiction and poverty, it's amazing the amount of detail that goes into showing a frickin' movie. I guess this shows where our priorities lay.

Forget the club scenario... just invite a few buddies over to watch a flick.

Answer 6

As long as you don't charge a fee, you can show it to as many people as you want.

Answer 7

You need to get a public viewing licence but Im not sure where you'd get one from.

Answer 8

As long as you don't earn any profit from it, u are within the law.

Answer 9

YEAH IT WILL INFRINGE LAWS...BUT WHO GIVES A ****?
I DOUBT SOME DUDES FROM WARNER ARE GOING TO COME DOWN AND ARREST U, + IF THEY DID U COULD JUST *** R@PE THEM AND SEND THEM ON THEIR WAY.