Research Guides: Copyright and Using Video: Getting Permission

Copyright Questions?

The University of Michigan Library Copyright Office provides help with copyright questions for University of Michigan faculty, staff and students. Please email us with questions or visit our website for more information.

Legal Advice

The information presented here is intended for informational purposes and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have specific legal questions pertaining to the University of Michigan, please contact the Office of the General Counsel.

If you require legal advice in your personal capacity, the lawyer referral services operated by the Washtenaw County Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan may be helpful to you.

Obtain a License

This page lists a number of ways to get permission to use an audiovisual work. Remember that you do not need a license if you are using something that is not copyrightable or is in the public domain, or if you are using it in a way that does not implicate one of the rights of copyright holders or is permitted by a user’s right.

Films the University of Michigan Library Has Already Licensed

U-M Library Catalog Search
The library purchases some videos (primarily documentaries, not feature films) with public performance rights (PPR). Those copies can be shown outside the classroom in a public location on the University of Michigan campus when no admission fee is charged. To determine whether the library has purchased PPR for a video, look up the video in Library Catalog Search. Click on the "Show Complete Record" button. If the library has purchased PPR, it will say "Terms of use: U. Michigan public performance rights obtained."
Library Digital Films Service - Streaming video for instructors
This guide describes how the library provides streaming of licensed video on Canvas course websites. It also provides information about streaming video databases to which the library subscribes that are available to the University of Michigan community.

Netflix Educational Screening Policy

Netflix allows one-time educational screenings of some Netflix Original documentaries. For more information, see Netflix's policy on Educational Screenings of Documentaries.

Collective Management Organizations for Audiovisual Works

The following organizations issue licenses for public performance or display of audiovisual works.

Criterion Pictures
Criterion Pictures licenses non-theatrical public performance of feature films from studios, including Paramount Pictures (select titles only), 20th Century Fox, Fox SearchLight, and DreamWorks Animation.
Swank Motion Pictures
Swank Motion Pictures licenses non-theatrical public performance of movies and TV shows from studios, including Disney, Warner Brothers, MGM, Columbia Pictures, and NBC Universal.
Kino Lorber EDU
Kino Lorber EDU licenses films for one-time community screenings by colleges, universities, libraries, and non-profit organizations. It specializes in art-house and international films.
Motion Picture Licensing Corporation
The Motion Picture Licensing Corporation offers a blanket license, called the "Umbrella License," that gives licensees public performance rights for its full catalog of audiovisual works. MPLC does not issue licenses for individual works.

Film Studios and Distributors

If you want to license a work or a right not covered by licenses from the collective management organizations listed above, going directly to the studio or the distributor is another option. For instance, if you are seeking a license for clips or stills from a studio film, it is common to get that license from the studio. Licensing departments for many major studios and distributors are linked in the list below.

MGM Media Licensing
This site allows users to request clip and still licenses for works from MGM's collection.
Paramount Theatrical Library
This site explains how to license clips from Paramount's Theatrical Library, including some DreamWorks films.
Sony Pictures Film Clip & Still Licensing
This site explains how to request licenses of clips, stills, and other items from Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films, and Revolution Studios.
Universal Studios Media Licensing
This site offers clip and still licenses for works from the Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation, and MCA Television libraries.
Walt Disney Studios Licensing Website
This site explains how to license clips, stills, and other materials from Disney's catalog, which includes Lucasfilm, Marvel Films, Miramax Films, and Dimension Films.
Warner Brothers Clip and Still Licensing Info
This site explains how to request licenses for clips and stills from the Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Turner Entertainment Co., Castle Rock Entertainment, New Line Cinema (including Picturehouse and Fine Line), and Hanna Barbera feature, television, and animation libraries.

Other Rights in Audiovisual Works

Many audiovisual works contain "layers" of copyrights and other rights that may be controlled by separate rightsholders. In some cases, (e.g., when you obtain a public performance license from a licensor such as Criterion or Swank) the licensor provides all the rights you need. In other cases, a single licensor may not be able to provide all the rights you need. For example, in some cases, a studio may not be able to license the background music in a film clip.