Public Performance Rights (PPR) are the legal right to publicly show a film.

Do I Need To Obtain Public Performance Rights?

Yes…

• if the screening is open to the public, such as showing a foreign-language film to the community for cultural enrichment
• if the screening is in a public space where access is not restricted, such as an instructor showing a film to a class for curriculum-related purposes in a public or unrestricted-access location
• if persons attending are outside the normal circle of family and acquaintances, such as showing a film to a club or organization, or showing a film for class but inviting others to attend

No…

• if privately viewing the film in your room with friends
• if an instructor is showing the film to officially registered students in a classroom, where content of film directly relates to course**

**See Title 17, Section 110 of the US Code for more information on the face-to-face teaching exemption.

How to obtain Public Performance Rights?

Many of the films in the UNT Media Library already include PPR. To identify these films, search the UNT Library Catalog for the keywords “Public Performance Rights Included”.

PPR can be obtained directly from the copyright holders or from a company assigned to handle these rights. Many features films use the following companies to manage PPR:

• Swank Motion Pictures.
• Criterion Pictures USA.
• Janus Films.
• New Yorker Films.
• Kino Lorber.