Licensing & Acquisitions
Public Performance Rights
Public performance rights (PPR) are the legal rights to publicly show a film or video.
PPR are required for all screenings of copyrighted media to the general public and to audiences outside of regular curriculum. Showing media (whether part of the Library's collection or rented/purchased) to groups without PPR may place the University at legal risk.
Examples of events in which PPR are needed:
- Student club events
- Extracurricular sponsored events such as general lectures
- Film showings
PPR are not needed for:
- In-person classroom instruction as part of your regular curriculum
- Viewing a film at home or in your dorm room
- Screening films that are in the public domain
Some of the UConn Library's streaming collections include PPR. If a library film that you would like to screen does not come with PPR, you are responsible for obtaining performance rights.
Films from these collections may be shown to groups outside of a classroom setting (except as noted) as long as no admission is charged.
Alexander Street Press (except Film Platform titles) - Subjects as anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and theatre. The materials include documentaries, interviews, feature films, performances, news programs and newsreels, and demonstrations.
Docuseek2 Complete Collection - Approximately 2,300 issues-based documentary films from producers and distributors including GoodDocs, Bullfrog Films, Icarus Films, the BBC, the National Film Board of Canada, KimStim, and other independent filmmakers from around the world. Focuses on environmental studies and sciences, sociology, anthropology, global studies, area studies, women’s studies, history, political science, criminal justice, health, psychology, the arts, and more
Ethnographic Video Online - Classic and contemporary ethnographies, documentaries, and shorts from every continent, including hundreds of cultural groups and practices around the world
Films on Demand - Documentary films on various topics in the humanities and social sciences
Kanopy (select tiles**) - Documentaries, classic films, and feature films requested by UConn faculty. **A PPR icon appears next to the film's running time on its title details page. You can also use Kanopy's PPR search filter to identify films with PPR.
Music Online: Opera in Video - Provides access to streaming videos of opera performances, captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries
PBS Video Collection - 1,600 streaming videos produced by PBS. Includes films from well-known PBS series such as Ken Burns' Jazz, NOVA, Frontline, and Finding Your Roots
Royal Shakespeare Company Collection - High-definition video-recorded productions of Shakespeare's plays, such as Hamlet and The Tempest. Filmed at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Stratford-on-Avon theatre
Theatre in Video - Plays, documentaries, and information on various leading playwrights, actors, and directors
Can I use my personal streaming video account for a public showing?
Your license to most personal streaming services, such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Max, Microsoft Video, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, etc., are for personal / family use only, and do not cover public group showings.
Exception: Netflix has a very small number of Netflix-produced education documentaries which can be shown in educational settings.
How can I obtain PPR?
Large studios are represented by licensing services that you can contact to arrange the PPR for your viewing. Costs vary according to variables such as audience size, number of screenings, whether admission is charged, and release date of the title. These major licensing services might get you started.
Swank - Represents major studios including Warner Bros., MGM, Lionsgate, Miramax, Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures, DreamWorks, STX Entertainment, Focus Features, Summit Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Tristar Pictures, New Line Cinema, NBC Universal, Bleeker Street, HBO, Discovery, Screen Gems, and more.
Criterion Pictures - Represents 20th Century Studios, Troma Films, New Concorde, and others.
Kino Lorber - Represents a variety of art house, classic, and documentary studios.
Milestone Films - Silent films, post-war foreign film renaissance, contemporary American independent features, documentaries, and foreign films. Their focus also extends to specific areas like African American films, animation, and LGBTQ+ cinema
You may have to contact smaller rights holders directly to seek PPR. You can begin your search for the copyright holder with the United States Copyright Office Database. If you are having trouble identifying the copyright holder, you may also request assistance from lib.acquisitions@uconn.edu.
