Film and Video

Yes, playing films from streaming or video on demand services is covered by s 28 of the Copyright Act. Schools/TAFEs can play films where it is:

• in the course of education and is not for profit
• the people in the audience or class are giving or receiving instruction, or are directly connected with the place where instruction is given.

For more information on the exception in s 28 see:

• Performance and Communication of Copyright Material in Class
• Newsletter: Issue 6 – October 2019 – Playing films in schools

You can make captioned versions of films for students with disabilities when it is not possible to buy a captioned version of the film under the disability access exceptions. Disability is defined as “a disability that causes the person difficulty in reading, viewing, hearing or comprehending copyright material in a particular form”.

For further information see Disability Access Exceptions.

A teacher may able to do this in very limited circumstances under s 28 of the Copyright Act and the flexible dealing exception. In order to play a film to your class you are able to first upload that film to ClickView to enable you to play the film to your class.  As soon as the lesson is over though, you must remove the film from ClickView.

See Performance and Communication of Copyright Material in Class.

Schools can play YouTube videos in the classroom under s 28 of the Copyright Act, provided it is:

• in the course of education and is not for profit
• the people in the audience or class are giving or receiving instruction, or are directly connected with the place where instruction is given.

For more information see:

• YouTube – Using
• Newsletter: August 2019 – Issue 5 Using YouTube

Schools can play films for entertainment purposes (eg at lunch on a rainy day or at school excursions) if they (or their administering body eg their Department of Education/Catholic Diocese/Independent Association on their behalf) have purchased a Co-Curricular licence. This is an optional licence which allows schools to play films  for non-educational purposes.

For more information on the Co-Curricular licence and playing films for non-educational purposes see:

• Films: Playing for Non-Educational Purposes
• Playing films television and radio in schools

Unfortunately no, schools will need to obtain permission from the copyright owner to play a film at a school fundraising event. We suggest contacting Roadshow at publicperformance@roadshow.com.au or the film producer to obtain permission.

Yes, you may be able to do this if you need it for the purposes of educational instruction.

See flexible dealing for guidance on when and how you may able to do this.

Yes, schools can copy film extracts for examination purposes under the exam copying exception.

For more information see Copying for Exams: What am I allowed to do ?

No. It is an offence to deal with a pirated copy of a DVD, which includes playing the DVD on the school or TAFE premises.

Yes. It can lend students copies of:

• television programs copied under the Statutory Broadcast Licence. See Radio and Television Broadcasts
• commercially purchased videos and DVDs, unless the School or TAFE has been made aware, prior to their purchase, that it is not allowed to lend them.