[Update: Disney CEO apologizes, will personally donate] Berkley elementary school fined $250 for showing latest version Lion King at PTA fundraiser (1 Viewer)

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Disney CEO Bob Iger has apologized to a California elementary school after it was charged $250 for showing the studio's 2019 remake of "The Lion King" during a fundraiser event.

"Our company @WaltDisneyCo apologizes to the Emerson Elementary School PTA," Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, tweeted on Thursday. "I will personally donate to their fund raising initiative."




This is a violation of copyright law but come on! Talk about picking on the little guy :idunno:


You might think the standard $15 movie ticket these days is outrageously expensive.

But some parents in Berkeley are on the hook for $250 for screening the Disney classic The Lion King at a PTA fundraiser in November.

On Thursday, Movie Licensing USA, the agency with whom Walt Disney and other major film studios contract, contacted the Emerson Elementary School PTA and the school’s principal to warn them the event had violated copyright law. The email said the company had “received an alert” about the movie night, which was hosted by the Emerson Dads Club.

“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,” Corey Goellner, copyright licensing manager, told https://www.berkeleyside.com/2020/0...ents-they-owe-250-for-screening-the-lion-king[/URL]
 
According to this article they raised $800 so that's a big chunk. It was an honest mistake and the fine is relatively small. Even so, I wonder if a huge corporation like Disney would consider cutting them some slack.

 
There's a concept in intellectual property law (including copyright and trademark) that the holder has to actively enforce the protection. It's one of those things where the copyright holder probably doesn't really desire to go enforce against a showing like this but the lawyers recommend it because they don't want to be shown to be in selective enforcement of their copyright.
 
There's a concept in intellectual property law (including copyright and trademark) that the holder has to actively enforce the protection. It's one of those things where the copyright holder probably doesn't really desire to go enforce against a showing like this but the lawyers recommend it because they don't want to be shown to be in selective enforcement of their copyright.

And now we know...

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According to this article they raised $800 so that's a big chunk. It was an honest mistake and the fine is relatively small. Even so, I wonder if a huge corporation like Disney would consider cutting them some slack.


I think the problem here is that they used to movie for fund-raising. Had they been doing some other kind of program - perhaps a sort of "parents night out" where kids get dropped off to play in the gym for a couple of hours . . . and one of the activities is they're showing Lion King, those can probably be easier to leave alone.

But when the unauthorized use is showing the film as part of exchange to get people to come pay money for some purpose or another, that's much more problematic.
 
Normally I would be all ‘screw corporations’ but the dad’s club did advertise the movie so clearly they were looking for that’s particular movie to boost participation and thus $

$250 is probably the cost to license the movie in the 1st place, so
 
I see it both ways but mostly from Disney's side. They own the rights to it and only an idiot doesn't know Disney goes above and beyond controlling their content. Show a Pixar or DreamWorks movie and this doesn't happen.
 
I’m close to this place

I think there's a balance that has to be struck. In many applications, IP results for a process that requires substantial investment, innovation, and creativity/inspiration. Failing to protect that isn't good for innovation or the consumer.

But the pendulum can clearly swing too far the other way and IP becomes stifling. I don't think the foundation of US IP law contemplated some of the near-perpetuities (in the name of profits) that are being allowed under current law.
 
I wonder how they got alerted that a single movie was shown at a relatively small event.

Twitter, IG, Facebook...take your pick

'Hey #BerkeleyElementarySchool come out and support the Dads Club by buying a ticket to watch the new #LionKing under the stars!'

You put something like that on twitter and it's a done deal. Companies pay people to monitor their social media presence these days.
 

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