Unauthorized viewing/distribution...

Since I don't want to derail the announcements for upcoming film festivals, Octopod’s last post actually nudged me to ask how things stand regarding those "club-style" screenings using DVDs or DivX files.

Of course, I'm not just barking up the wrong tree here... I've got a similar dilemma because we're looking into hosting movie screenings for the community at our local youth center, but my inner legal eagle keeps bugging me: what's the deal with those warnings stating that any unauthorized screening of a film—or even just parts of one—in... public spaces isn't allowed? What exactly are we "violating" by showing movies in club settings? Who is even in charge here—is it some kind of federal inspector or a distributor's watchdog? (ha-ha! 😁 )

If those DVDs were bought through Amazon and include older movies that aren't even distributed here in the States, I don't see why anyone would care.

By the way, what are you showing 😁

What you’re saying makes total sense. We shouldn't just roll over whenever some outside authority tries to dictate our laws. It really leaves us wondering about the logistics of screening movies that were originally released on DVD here in the States. I've always been curious how clubs like the Swamp and similar spots actually navigated this whole "legal headache."

What am I showing?! Hehe, it's a little secret! (Or, more accurately: everything!)

Honestly, you’d be much better off just showing stuff using pirated copies—there aren't any annoying warnings plastered all over them anyway. 😁

amberfalcon172 said:It would probably be easier if you just used pirated copies since they don't come with any warnings. 😁

Ha! 👍 And then we’d all be crossing into felony territory, wouldn't we?

It seems nobody here is actually bothering to do the heavy lifting... what a joke. 😁

He made a solid point. Don't waste your energy on this. It’s better if people just stick to the old classics instead of letting the government rake in 😉

If you’re planning on screening a movie that was distributed here in the States, you’ll need to get in touch with the local distributors to clear all the legal requirements first.

redowl90 said:If you plan on screening a movie that's already been released here in the States, you’ll need to contact the local distributors to clear the licensing.

Is there a specific registry to check if a film has American distribution, or am I stuck calling every single distributor out there?

Now we’re actually making some headway here. My sense is that in the US, legality usually hinges on those specific disclaimers you see right at the start of a DVD—you know, the ones printed in plain English. Plus, since every disc lists its specific distributor, I imagine it really just comes down to how each individual case shakes out.

Alright, so the move is to contact the distributor directly. Thanks for the tip, redowl90.

My boyfriend used to screen films for his university. They’d pay distributors roughly $6667 for the licensing rights (for a set of 4), but they don't actually send you an original DVD. Instead, you get a burned copy, and you have to manually download the subtitles from the distributor's website yourself after the fact.
That was how it worked late last year, though I'm not sure if anything has changed since then...

Oh, come on... who’s actually going to catch you if you aren't sharing? And what about those movies they play on the Greyhound buses?

Sandra Harris2 said:My boyfriend used to screen movies for universities. They’d pay distributors about $6667 for the licensing rights (for a set of four), but instead of getting an actual official DVD, they just get some burned copy. You have to download the subtitles yourself from the distributor's website after you get them.
That was how it worked late last year, though who knows if anything has changed since then...

Honestly, those terms are a total joke. It's just classic American greed—it feels like they're more interested in squeezing people dry than actually providing a service. I wouldn't go out of my way to make things easy for them, but it's good to be in the loop...

Well... Regarding that whole "hit them where it hurts" strategy...
I’m not saying it was some groundbreaking initiative. It started with offering a handful of films, but the overhead was massive and the turnout was practically non-existent...
So, just be honest here... 🤷

Another rumor I picked up—from my cousin over in France—is about downloading, and it's coming out of there. See, in France, it's strictly illegal to download or stream movies and music without paying royalties. However, that doesn't apply to content that hasn't found a distributor and isn't legally available in France. If you're downloading, say, "Spider-Man," you risk getting slammed if you get caught. But if it's some indie or underground work that hasn't been distributed yet (meaning you can't buy or rent it), you can download it all you want and show it off at, say, local youth clubs or something.

The films on the bus—maybe the copyrights were actually paid for. Once you pay for a specific film, you can do whatever you want with it. Though, honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if they were just borrowed DVDs from a video rental store.😁

David Price5 said:How can you tell if a movie was released here in the States? Is there some kind of official registry, or do you have to track down every single distributor?

First, identify which studio holds the rights to the film, then check that against a list of major American distributors.

That’s pretty much all there is to it.

If you're looking for a major distributor, check out Continental Films. They’re actually really decent people. I remember reaching out to them personally when I was placing an order, and they were super helpful. Just shoot them an email at cf-info@continental-film.hr and see what they say!

Ronald Morales2 said:Oh, come on... who's actually going to catch you if you aren't sharing... And what about those movies they play on the Greyhound buses?

The ones at the gas station?

Every time I’ve traveled, I ended up being followed by "Soft Hearted Killer"