Home cassettes in the firehouse may carry a hidden price
Enjoying “Rocky” via the fire station’s videocassette recorder? Better get a license first, says one company affiliated with the motion picture industry.
The Motion Picture Licensing Corp. of Stamford, Conn., claims the U.S. Copyright Law considers the showing of home videocassettes outside of the home to be a public performance.
A license essentially secures permission from the movie studios to give such performances. Some licensing companies work on a title-by-title basis; the Motion Picture Licensing Corp. offers a blanket license that covers films from several major studios.
Harald Bauer, a consultant for the Connecticut company, says the price of a license varies with the department and is based on the number of people expected to view home videos. A ballpark figure, he says, would be less than $5 per year for each firefighter.
An International Association of Fire Chiefs spokesman says the LAFC’s counsel has been asked to review the U.S. Copyright Law’s applicability to viewing home videos in the firehouse.
