Is it legal to show movies in a restaurant?

I'm curious to know if it is legal to play movies in a restaurant. Not charging a cover, just a private showing of a classic type film. I'm aware that you need a permit or license for just about everything else, so without contacting my "good for nothing" alderman, I was hoping someone else might know.

thanks!

turtle...

Public performance rights(PPR) or an umbrella license must be obtained prior to showing, unless showing meets several conditions of "educational" use. Some films already come with PPR.

"All other public performances of Videos are illegal unless they have been authorized by license. Even “performances in ‘semipublic’ places such as clubs, lodges, factories, summer camps and schools are ‘public performances’ subject to copyright control.” (Senate Reprt No. 94-473, page 60; House Report No. 94-1476, page 64)."

http://www.mplc.com/aboutLaw.php

You need to obtain permission from the copyright holder of the movie, unless the movie is out of copyright. Very few movies are out of copyright, thanks to the efforts of Disney, but if the movie is old and obscure enough it might be.

If the movie is still under copyright, you need to talk to the MPLC.

and i see food nut beat me to it

No it is not.

Some of the "mystery shopping" outfits are being hired by the studios to report "Mom and Pops" who play movies in their businesses without paying for a license. For example, a child care facility playing movies for children or a beauty shop. Basically, you get $10/violation for reporting a violation which is verified.

thanks for the help everyone, I already filled out the application to obtain the mplc umbrella license and from what I read it's not much of a fee.

If the restaurant is in Chicago you might need a Public Place of Amusement license too.

LAZ wrote:If the restaurant is in Chicago you might need a Public Place of Amusement license too.

It's always been my understanding that PPAs are only applicable in situations where you're charging a cover. (Which the OP explicitly stated isn't in their plans.) But reading that page has lead to me being confused - I know a great deal of smaller bars that have events held in them where they explicitly can't charge a cover due to a lack of a PPA. But they still manage to have events in them. (Then again, I wonder how the city regards DJs when discussing "entertainment.)

Of course, there's various sneaky ways to get around this that are employed by people throwing loft parties and whatnot. (Make the event an "invitation only" event, require "membership" to be invited. Oh, and membership expires after one event, and it comes with a fee that's the same as they'd charge for cover.... You get my drift.)

City of Chicago wrote:A Public Place of Amusement License (PPA) is required if an establishment offers entertainment whether or not a cover charge or admission fee is required for entrance.

The city has seriously cracked down on this in the past year or so.

Pete wrote:Of course, there's various sneaky ways to get around this that are employed by people throwing loft parties and whatnot. (Make the event an "invitation only" event, require "membership" to be invited. Oh, and membership expires after one event, and it comes with a fee that's the same as they'd charge for cover.... You get my drift.)

in theory that sounds good. however the city doesn't like people who are sneaky. anything that the city wants closed down will get closed down for one reason or another ("just discovered" code violations, etc). i've personally seen the membership plan scoffed at by police and seen events get shut down regardless.

a related article from today's Sun-Times

"Indie Distributor leaving film club in the dark"

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst ... ilm27.html

I wouldn't be a tragedy for a mystery shopper to sniff out my occasional nail salon for lacking a license to play movies (which I'm sure they don't have). If I have to watch another vintage Meg Ryan romantic comedy, or Jennifer Garner romantic comedy, or Kate Hudson romantic comedy, I may lose it entirely. . .