Can a teacher use his/her personal Netflix or other subscription streaming service to show a video in the classroom?

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  • Can a teacher use their personal Netflix or other subscription streaming service to show a video in the classroom?

  • In general, these services are covered by pretty strick licensing agreements. They are for private viewing only and do not cover public performances. It's been a while since I read Netflix, but I have, in the past, had instructors who required a subscription for the free month from students to watch films. 

  • Yes, these consumer only licenses are a real problem for libraries and classrooms, especially when the content is only available from Netflix or Amazon or iTunes - this will only increase. 

    A good number of people just ignore the license, even when they know they are technically violating the contract. Risk of being caught is extremely low, and there is something to be said when most people think they what they are doing should be lawful. 

    I have not heard about anyone getting "into trouble" for violating end user contracts in this way, so it may be just tolerated by rights holders.  It is too much trouble (and doesn't look good) to go after a bunch of teachers or librarians who have no other option for accessing the content. 

    Carrie

     

     

  • It depends on what film from their library you are wishing to screen for students. When you sign-up for a Netflix account you agree to terms of use that say that your subscription is intended for personal use/viewing only so, for the most part, public screenings of their films, even for educational purposes, are not permitted. Netflix does allow one-time educational screenings of some of their original documentary films. You can learn more about this option here: https://help.netflix.com/en/node/57695.

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