If you find a situation where none of the exceptions given by U.S. Code Title 17 apply, you may seek permission from the copyright owner to use the material. Below are outlined methods for seeking permissions for some common materials.
No Endorsement Needed
As per the Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2008, all locations on the following website are legal sources of online material that need no evaluation or endorsement.
Educause: Legal Sources of Online Content
Furthermore, Truman State University has provided access to Films On Demand services, which gives rights to many movies.
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is an non-profit organization that provides free legal tools to create copyright licenses. These licenses allow others to use the work under certain customizable conditions. Please visit the Creative Commons License Descriptions page to view the different licenses and their implications.
Movies
The Motion Picture Licensing Corporation , Movie Licensing USA, and Swank Motion Pictures, Inc., grant public performance rights.
- The Motion Picture Licensing Corporation is an independent copyright licensing service exclusively authorized by major Hollywood motion picture studios and independent producers to grant Umbrella Licenses to nonprofit groups, businesses, and government organizations to ensure that the public performances of home videodiscs and videocassettes comply with the Federal Copyright Act.
- Movie Licensing USA, a corporate division of Swank Motion Pictures, Inc., addresses the specific Movie Public Performance Site Licensing needs of schools and public libraries. Movie Licensing USA provides an exclusive license that satisfies the copyright protection needs of the movie producers, while offering a worry-free, liability-free movie license.
- Swank Motion Pictures, Inc., is a major movie distributor and a public performance licensing agent in non-theatrical markets where feature entertainment movies are shown. Swank Motion Pictures, Inc., has exclusive distribution arrangements in many markets with most American movie producers for the motion pictures seen in theaters. Creating an account requires basic information (shipping and billing addresses, contact person, telephone number, fax number, and an e-mail address), and pricing varies by format, title, and venue.
Where should I start?
Call:
Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.
Phone: 1-800-876-5577
Fax: 314-289-2192
How much will it cost?
That depends on the film and conditions in which it will be shown. Be prepared to spend, on average, $200-$400 for a single showing. Some studios also require a percentage of the ticket prices, if you are charging admission.
Music
If you wish to perform a musical work, you are likely already covered under Truman’s existing license with ASCAP, BMI or SESAC.
If you want to record and distribute a musical composition that has already been recorded by someone else, or sychronize music with visual images, contact the Harry Fox Agency.
Online performance rights are more complicated. They involve 3 rights:
- the performance right in the musical composition (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC)
- the performance right in the sound recording (RIAA)
- the right to duplicate the musical composition (Harry Fox Agency)
Each of these rights must be licensed from a separate entity.
The owner of the sound recording is usually the record label. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) represents most major labels.
Contact Information
American Society of Composers,Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)212-621-6000
info@ascap.com
www.ascap.com Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) 800-925-8451 genlic@BMI.com www.BMI.com Harry Fox Agency
www.harryfox.com Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC)
800-826-9996
212-586-3450
license@sesac.com
www.sesac.com
Printed Material
If you are seeking permissions for copying a section of a text, sections of multiple texts, or compiling a Course Pack, Truman Printing Services has a streamlined process using the following forms:
Many education exceptions apply to printed materials, but if the situation calls for the whole work or the exceptions do not apply, contact the Copyright Clearance Center to seek licenses and permissions.
Images
To seek permission for images, start with the Media Image Resource Alliance, the American Society of Media Photographers, or the Artists Rights Society.