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Feature Film Public Performance Rights: Entertainment - Criterion
Under the Canadian Copyright Act any viewing or exhibition of a film in a public place must have a Public Performance Rights license. At not-for-profit institutions, the showing of films in the classroom no longer requires obtaining a PPR licence; however, other uses such as student movie nights do require an Entertainment license.
Entertainment Rights licenses are available from two vendors, ACF and Criterion Pictures. Between them they cover almost all of the major US and Canadian studios and production companies and many independent producers and foreign films.
The PPR license covers any showing of films as long as the video is legally obtained. It can come from the library's collection, the instructor's personal collection, or a video rental store. Copies that have been dubbed from broadcast or cable, or transferred from another copy, or illegally downloaded, are not covered.
See the FAQ section for details on rights and restrictions with the Criterion PPR Entertainment licence.