Film purchased or rented on Blu-Ray and DVD, as well as content streamed via digital delivery, or via Pay or Free Tv, are available to you for 'home use only'. In Australian and New Zealand copyright law, screening film and television content in a non-domestic setting (such as a retirement village, church, school, day care or community club) requires permission from the copyright owner.

A general rule of thumb is if the screening is outside your home, it's considered a public screening and will require the appropriate license. The Big Studio Movie Licence provides you with the legal coverage to screen movies at your facility address.

Find out more about your responsibilities under copyright law

From the Australian Copyright Council on Film and Copyright, Films, DVDs, TV & Streaming Services: Screening in Public: 
This fact sheet gives a brief overview of copyright law as it relates to the public screening of films.
This fact sheet explores the rights granted to filmmakers, issues of ownership and infringement of copyright for films.
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‍For more information on Copyright and Content Protection in Australia and New Zealand https://anzsa.film/

Consequences of unauthorised public screening 
‍If you screen a film in public without permission, you will infringe copyright (unless a special exception applies, or all relevant copyrights have expired). You may also infringe copyright by authorising someone else to screen a film, DVD or video without permission. In addition, a person who permits premises to be used for an unauthorised public screening of a film may be liable. A copyright owner may take legal action for infringement.

A copyright owner whose rights are infringed may seek orders from a court, including orders for financial compensation. A person who infringes copyright for commercial purposes may also be charged with criminal offences.

Reference: Australian Copyright Council: Films, DVDs, TV & Streaming Services: Screening in Public - ACC - INFO031 - Australian Copyright Council, page 5, point 12.

Good question! It has long been a requirement from film studios that a modest fee be paid for public performances of content they own. In the US, public performance licensing in Senior Living Communities has been a compliance requirement for many years. In Australia, organisations have long been aware of copyright requirements around music licensing. Similarly, the film industry is now requesting that organisations abide by copyright regulation when it comes to the use of the copyright protected content owned by the studios. 

The Big Studio Movie Licence makes it possible for your organisation to easily screen movies at your facility site/s. We’ve provided 10,000+ blanket movie licences since 2009 and are here to assist your organisation with legal access to movies from the Hollywood studios.

No. The Big Studio Movie Licence is a site license and as such only provides legal coverage for the nominated address entered at the time of purchase. A licence will need to be purchased for each facility.
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Purchasing for multiple facilities? Contact us for discounted pricing.

Yes. The location requires a licence regardless of who owns the movie, or how the content is delivered to the site. While you may own the actual movie, you are only granted the right to view it in your home, not to view it in common areas at your facility.

No! Once you have a license, you are covered to screen all of the films that come under the studios without having to report back. Once your renewal comes up after 12 months, you will be required to renew, in order to ensure you are still covered.

Sorry, but you can’t charge people entry for the films we are covering in our licence. Having said that, you are more than welcome to sell food and drinks or be creative with another way of fundraising at an event.

Visit the Creative Content Australia website and Australia New Zealand Screen Association. Also Copyright Act 1968 and Public use of copyright works | Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand.

Yes. These days, film content can be accessed at the touch of a button, and in a variety of ways. All content intended for personal, private use requires a license when shown in public, regardless of how that content is sourced. This goes for content sourced via DVD, Blu-Ray, streaming platforms such as Netflix and downloaded content. Regardless of the mode of delivery for content, the terms and conditions of delivery only grant you the right to view in your home, not in public, and a public performance licence is required for screening in non-private common areas.

You may be surprised to learn that even movies available via free to air channels sit within the requirements for licensing permissions, as they are copyright protected. You can read more about this, from the Commonwealth's Australian Law Reform Commission (refer paragraph 210). No television broadcaster, or streaming content provider holds the screening rights for movies as we act solely for the studios to provide blanket licensing permissions for eligible providers.

Where there has been unauthorised public performance of a film, the following people can be liable: person/s who screen the film, person/s who authorise the performance but do not have the right to do so, person/s who provide premises for an unauthorised screening, and person/s who provide equipment for the performance.

To find out if a film is covered under The Big Studio Movie Licence, checkout the help article: How to check if a film is covered.