Policies

You may view our DVD collections in your home or dorm room for educational, recreational, or research purposes. Possession of a film or video does not confer the right to show the work in public, even if no fee is charged. You also may not upload a copy of a feature motion picture to your Canvas site - popular feature films have different Fair Use rights under copyright.

The Copyright Act of 1976 and portions of the House of Representatives Report (94-1476) provide some conditions under which films or videos can be shown:

• They must be shown only to students and educators as part of an instructional program.
• They must be shown either in a classroom or other school location devoted to instruction.
• They must be shown either in a face-to-face setting or where students and instructors are in the same building or general area.
• They must be shown using a legitimate (that is, not illegally reproduced) copy, with the copyright notice included.

While Section 110(2) of Copyright law, better known as the TEACH Act, does make provisions for online education the DVDs in our Recreational DVD collection do not meet requirements for Fair Use usage. If there is a feature film you wish to use in an online class or provide access through Canvas, please contact Samantha Gust, Head of Collection, to try to obtain licensed access through Swank for the title you wish to show.