Copyright: The essentials

Showing film or other video content in a McGill context is subject to copyright and licensing considerations. Consult the box on this guide that applies to your intended use or the origin of the audiovisual work:

• Intended use
  • Educational/classroom screening
  • Public screening
• Origin of the video
  • Library Streaming Video
  • YouTube and other online video
  • DVDs and other physical media
  • Commercial personal streaming services

If your intended use does not fit into one of these categories or you are not sure where the material comes from, contact

You may show a cinematic work without having to pay royalties or seek permissions if the performance:

1. takes place on McGill premises;
2. has an audience of primarily McGill students, faculty, and staff;
3. is for educational or training purposes;
4. is not for profit (ie you cannot charge admission); and
5. the work was legally obtained.

If you do not fit all five criteria please see the Public screening section.

If you intend to show a cinematic work that does not qualify for the educational screening criteria listed above, then you will likely need a Public Performance Rights (PPR) license to show the film. This would include:

• showing a film at a student event (non-educational)
• showing a film to an audience not primarily consisting of McGill students, faculty, or staff

The PPR license covers any showing of films as long as the video is legally obtained. It can come from the library's collection, the instructor's personal collection, or other source. 

The Library subscribes to an annual license with ACF (Audio Cine Films) - please note that the ACF license does not include streaming or access to the film itself. In some cases, if the film you wish to show is not part of the ACF repertoire, the Library may be able to obtain PPR for you. Please contact copyright.library@mcgill.ca for more information. 

The Library has several streaming video collections available to McGill students, staff, and faculty, such as Academic video online (AVON), Can-Core Academic Video, Criterion on Demand, Films on Demand, Kanopy and National Film Board (NFB) Campus collection.

For a list of the available collections, please consult Downloadable and streaming media.

Content from these collections can be streamed in the classroom and linked to. Some platforms may also allow other uses, please contact copyright.library@mcgill.ca or your liaison librarian. 

You may show videos from YouTube and other publicly available non-subscription online platforms in class or link to them in myCourses except under the following circumstances:

• The work is protected by digital locks preventing their performance
• A clearly visible notice prohibiting educational use is posted on the website or on the work itself.
• You have reason to believe that the work available on the internet is in violation of the copyright owner’s rights.

Videos from DVDs, video cassettes and other physical media can be played for an educational/classroom screening. You may use your own copy, a rented or borrowed copy of a work as long as such work is not an infringing copy and was legally obtained. 

Use of subscription-based commercial streaming platforms through the instructor's personal account is governed by the terms of the each platform's license. Unless specifically listed below, instructors should obtain confirmation that the screening they have planned is permitted by the provider. 

Netflix

Some Netflix original educational documentaries are available for one-time educational screenings. Titles that are available for educational screening will display either the following Grant of Permission or an Educational Screenings Permission (ESP) on their details page.

Amazon Prime, Disney+, AppleTV+

Customer service from these platforms has confirmed that an educator may stream a film for educational purposes in a classroom using their personal account, provided that the film is streamed only on a single device.