An elementary school in Berkeley, California, was recently hit with licensing fees after airing the 2019 remake of “The Lion King” at a fundraiser event, CNN reports.
What happened: Emerson Elementary School played the 2019 reboot at the “parent’s night out” fundraiser event, which aimed to play a movie for children while parents took the night off.
- But a licensing company fined the school two months after the event. The school was asked to pay $250 in fees for showing the movie illegally, according to CNN.
- The company, called Movie Licensing USA, manages licensing for Disney films.
- PTA president David Rose told CNN: “One of the dads bought the movie at Best Buy. He owned it. We literally had no idea we were breaking any rules.”
- The school’s PTA said it will pay the costs of the licensing fees. However, it’ll do so “somewhat begrudgingly,” CNN reports.
- CNN said: “And since the school does not have a license with the company, it’s been asked to pay $250 for the screening — and $250 per showing of the movie at any future events at the school.”
The law: According to CBS San Francisco: “Copyright law says you cannot display a movie outside of your home to any size audience for entertainment purposes without paying a licensing fee.”
- “If a movie is shown for any entertainment reason — even in the classroom, it is required by law that the school obtains a Public Performance license,” said Corey Goellner, copyright licensing manager, according to Berkeleyside.
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Total: The event reportedly made $800 total. So about one third of the earnings will go toward the fees, CBS San Francisco reported.