Statement of Intent
Home DVDs and videos are intended for private, domestic use only. When they are shown anywhere outside of the home, including day nurseries, out-of-school and pre-school settings, this qualifies as a ‘public performance’. It is illegal to show them in these settings without the correct licence.
This advice is from Oxfordshire County Council’s Community Childcare and Play staff for use if writing your own policy. Every effort has been made to ensure the information provided is accurate, but this does not constitute legal advice.
Voluntary and privately managed childcare provision
This includes out-of-school clubs, pre-schools and day nurseries. The licence required depends on the film and the market sector the business operates in. Check carefully with the licence provider to ensure you get the right licence for your specific needs.
Usually an out-of-school club, pre–school or day nursery will find that a licence that excludes charging for a showing or publicly advertising showings will meet their needs.
The Motion Picture Licensing Company (International) Limited (MPLC) can provide an Umbrella Licence®, which fully complies with UK copyright law. MPLC covers over 130 producers and distributors worldwide, from major Hollywood studios to independent producers, but not every DVD/video.
The cost of a licence for a childcare provision will be based on registered childcare places per year. Places for children under the age of one can usually be excluded from the number of childcare places. If a provision is not registered with Ofsted, then the maximum number of places provided would be the number of childcare places in use.
Filmbank Distributors Ltd (Filmbank) offers a more limited public screening (PVS) licence agreement for a lower number of producers.
You can also obtain licences from MPLC or Filmbank to show a single film title in public on a commercial or non-profit basis.
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