Function

• Movie copyright laws aim to protect the intellectual property of artists in the movie industry by clearly stating when movies can and cannot be shown legally. In the United States, the pertinent legislation is called the Federal Copyright Act, which is contained in Title 17 of the United States Code. The applicable portions of the act essentially forbid the public performance of motion pictures unless a license is obtained first. Consequently, the regulation protects the earning capacity of artists in the movie industry--defined as authors, computer programmers, musicians, and producers--by guaranteeing they will retain ownership of their intellectual property and have the ability to control its use.
  
  

Features

• An integral component of movie copyright law is the concept of "public performance." When consumers purchase or rent a movie on any medium, they receive the right to watch that movie in their home only. This includes viewing the film alone or with others. The main stipulation is that the activity must occur within the home.
  One exception, an educational exemption, applies to educators. Teachers are allowed to screen a movie for more than one person and outside of a home environment if the movie is used strictly for relevant educational purposes. Other requirements include the presence of an instructor during the showing, a location inside a classroom with only enrolled students in attendance, and an authentic copy of the movie that is not taped from television or another form of media.
  If the home or educational criteria do not apply, a public performance site license is required to show a movie.
  
  

Licenses

• In most cases, acquiring a public performance site license to screen a movie is simply a matter of calling a company that issues them, such as the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation. Considerations that determine how much a license will cost range from the number of people attending the screening to the number of times the movie will be shown. In general, the higher the number, the more expensive a license will be.
  
  

Sanctions

• Violating movie copyright laws for financial or commercial benefit is a federal crime that can lead to significant fines and even imprisonment. If a person is sentenced for such a willful violation, he can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in jail, as well as receive a fine of up to $250,000. As movie piracy becomes more common, the movie industry has likewise become more diligent about achieving such results in court.
  
  

Warning

• People who download movies from the Internet should be particularly concerned about getting caught violating movie copyright laws because the Internet is not as anonymous as it may seem. Moreover, encouraged by the recording industry's efforts to stop online audio file sharing, the Motion Picture Association of America has become as dedicated to cracking down on virtual movie piracy as it is to preventing physical theft through illegal copying on media like DVDs.