United States Code/Title 17/Chapter 1/Section 110
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Sec. 110. Limitations on exclusive rights: Exemption of certain performances and displays
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106, the following are not infringements of copyright:
- (1) performance or display of a work by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities of a nonprofit educational institution, in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction, unless, in the case of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, the performance, or the display of individual images, is given by means of a copy that was not lawfully made under this title, and that the person responsible for the performance knew or had reason to believe was not lawfully made;
- (2) except with respect to a work produced or marketed primarily for performance or display as part of mediated instructional activities transmitted via digital networks, or a performance or display that is given by means of a copy or phonorecord that is not lawfully made and acquired under this title, and the transmitting government body or accredited nonprofit educational institution knew or had reason to believe was not lawfully made and acquired, the performance of a nondramatic literary or musical work or reasonable and limited portions of any other work, or display of a work in an amount comparable to that which is typically displayed in the course of a live classroom session, by or in the course of a transmission, if -
- (A) the performance or display is made by, at the direction of, or under the actual supervision of an instructor as an integral part of a class session offered as a regular part of the systematic mediated instructional activities of a governmental body or an accredited nonprofit educational institution;
- (B) the performance or display is directly related and of material assistance to the teaching content of the transmission;
- (C) the transmission is made solely for, and, to the extent technologically feasible, the reception of such transmission is limited to -
- (i) students officially enrolled in the course for which the transmission is made; or
- (ii) officers or employees of governmental bodies as a part of their official duties or employment; and
- (D) the transmitting body or institution -
- (i) institutes policies regarding copyright, provides informational materials to faculty, students, and relevant staff members that accurately describe, and promote compliance with, the laws of the United States relating to copyright, and provides notice to students that materials used in connection with the course may be subject to copyright protection; and
- (ii) in the case of digital transmissions -
- (I) applies technological measures that reasonably prevent -
- (aa) retention of the work in accessible form by recipients of the transmission from the transmitting body or institution for longer than the class session; and
- (bb) unauthorized further dissemination of the work in accessible form by such recipients to others; and
- (II) does not engage in conduct that could reasonably be expected to interfere with technological measures used by copyright owners to prevent such retention or unauthorized further dissemination;
- (I) applies technological measures that reasonably prevent -
- (3) performance of a nondramatic literary or musical work or of a dramatico-musical work of a religious nature, or display of a work, in the course of services at a place of worship or other religious assembly;
- (4) performance of a nondramatic literary or musical work otherwise than in a transmission to the public, without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage and without payment of any fee or other compensation for the performance to any of its performers, promoters, or organizers, if -
- (A) there is no direct or indirect admission charge; or
- (B) the proceeds, after deducting the reasonable costs of producing the performance, are used exclusively for educational, religious, or charitable purposes and not for private financial gain, except where the copyright owner has served notice of objection to the performance under the following conditions:
- (i) the notice shall be in writing and signed by the copyright owner or such owner's duly authorized agent; and
- (ii) the notice shall be served on the person responsible for the performance at least seven days before the date of the performance, and shall state the reasons for the objection; and
- (iii) the notice shall comply, in form, content, and manner of service, with requirements that the Register of Copyrights shall prescribe by regulation;
- (5)(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), communication of a transmission embodying a performance or display of a work by the public reception of the transmission on a single receiving apparatus of a kind commonly used in private homes, unless -
- (i) a direct charge is made to see or hear the transmission; or
- (ii) the transmission thus received is further transmitted to the public;
- (B) communication by an establishment of a transmission or retransmission embodying a performance or display of a nondramatic musical work intended to be received by the general public, originated by a radio or television broadcast station licensed as such by the Federal Communications Commission, or, if an audiovisual transmission, by a cable system or satellite carrier, if -
- (i) in the case of an establishment other than a food service or drinking establishment, either the establishment in which the communication occurs has less than 2,000 gross square feet of space (excluding space used for customer parking and for no other purpose), or the establishment in which the communication occurs has 2,000 or more gross square feet of space (excluding space used for customer parking and for no other purpose) and -
- (I) if the performance is by audio means only, the performance is communicated by means of a total of not more than 6 loudspeakers, of which not more than 4 loudspeakers are located in any 1 room or adjoining outdoor space; or
- (II) if the performance or display is by audiovisual means, any visual portion of the performance or display is communicated by means of a total of not more than 4 audiovisual devices, of which not more than 1 audiovisual device is located in any 1 room, and no such audiovisual device has a diagonal screen size greater than 55 inches, and any audio portion of the performance or display is communicated by means of a total of not more than 6 loudspeakers, of which not more than 4 loudspeakers are located in any 1 room or adjoining outdoor space;
- (ii) in the case of a food service or drinking establishment, either the establishment in which the communication occurs has less than 3,750 gross square feet of space (excluding space used for customer parking and for no other purpose), or the establishment in which the communication occurs has 3,750 gross square feet of space or more (excluding space used for customer parking and for no other purpose) and -
- (I) if the performance is by audio means only, the performance is communicated by means of a total of not more than 6 loudspeakers, of which not more than 4 loudspeakers are located in any 1 room or adjoining outdoor space; or
- (II) if the performance or display is by audiovisual means, any visual portion of the performance or display is communicated by means of a total of not more than 4 audiovisual devices, of which not more than one audiovisual device is located in any 1 room, and no such audiovisual device has a diagonal screen size greater than 55 inches, and any audio portion of the performance or display is communicated by means of a total of not more than 6 loudspeakers, of which not more than 4 loudspeakers are located in any 1 room or adjoining outdoor space;
- (iii) no direct charge is made to see or hear the transmission or retransmission;
- (iv) the transmission or retransmission is not further transmitted beyond the establishment where it is received; and
- (v) the transmission or retransmission is licensed by the copyright owner of the work so publicly performed or displayed;
- (i) in the case of an establishment other than a food service or drinking establishment, either the establishment in which the communication occurs has less than 2,000 gross square feet of space (excluding space used for customer parking and for no other purpose), or the establishment in which the communication occurs has 2,000 or more gross square feet of space (excluding space used for customer parking and for no other purpose) and -
- (6) performance of a nondramatic musical work by a governmental body or a nonprofit agricultural or horticultural organization, in the course of an annual agricultural or horticultural fair or exhibition conducted by such body or organization; the exemption provided by this clause shall extend to any liability for copyright infringement that would otherwise be imposed on such body or organization, under doctrines of vicarious liability or related infringement, for a performance by a concessionnaire, business establishment, or other person at such fair or exhibition, but shall not excuse any such person from liability for the performance;
- (7) performance of a nondramatic musical work by a vending establishment open to the public at large without any direct or indirect admission charge, where the sole purpose of the performance is to promote the retail sale of copies or phonorecords of the work, or of the audiovisual or other devices utilized in such performance, and the performance is not transmitted beyond the place where the establishment is located and is within the immediate area where the sale is occurring;
- (8) performance of a nondramatic literary work, by or in the course of a transmission specifically designed for and primarily directed to blind or other handicapped persons who are unable to read normal printed material as a result of their handicap, or deaf or other handicapped persons who are unable to hear the aural signals accompanying a transmission of visual signals, if the performance is made without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage and its transmission is made through the facilities of: (i) a governmental body; or (ii) a noncommercial educational broadcast station (as defined in section 397 of title 47); or (iii) a radio subcarrier authorization (as defined in 47 CFR 73.293-73.295 and 73.593-73.595); or (iv) a cable system (as defined in section 111(f));
- (9) performance on a single occasion of a dramatic literary work published at least ten years before the date of the performance, by or in the course of a transmission specifically designed for and primarily directed to blind or other handicapped persons who are unable to read normal printed material as a result of their handicap, if the performance is made without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage and its transmission is made through the facilities of a radio subcarrier authorization referred to in clause (8)(iii), Provided, That the provisions of this clause shall not be applicable to more than one performance of the same work by the same performers or under the auspices of the same organization; and
- (10) notwithstanding paragraph (4), the following is not an infringement of copyright: performance of a nondramatic literary or musical work in the course of a social function which is organized and promoted by a nonprofit veterans' organization or a nonprofit fraternal organization to which the general public is not invited, but not including the invitees of the organizations, if the proceeds from the performance, after deducting the reasonable costs of producing the performance, are used exclusively for charitable purposes and not for financial gain. For purposes of this section the social functions of any college or university fraternity or sorority shall not be included unless the social function is held solely to raise funds for a specific charitable purpose.
The exemptions provided under paragraph (5) shall not be taken into account in any administrative, judicial, or other governmental proceeding to set or adjust the royalties payable to copyright owners for the public performance or display of their works. Royalties payable to copyright owners for any public performance or display of their works other than such performances or displays as are exempted under paragraph (5) shall not be diminished in any respect as a result of such exemption.
In paragraph (2), the term "mediated instructional activities" with respect to the performance or display of a work by digital transmission under this section refers to activities that use such work as an integral part of the class experience, controlled by or under the actual supervision of the instructor and analogous to the type of performance or display that would take place in a live classroom setting. The term does not refer to activities that use, in 1 or more class sessions of a single course, such works as textbooks, course packs, or other material in any media, copies or phonorecords of which are typically purchased or acquired by the students in higher education for their independent use and retention or are typically purchased or acquired for elementary and secondary students for their possession and independent use.
For purposes of paragraph (2), accreditation -
- (A) with respect to an institution providing post-secondary education, shall be as determined by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation or the United States Department of Education; and
- (B) with respect to an institution providing elementary or secondary education, shall be as recognized by the applicable state certification or licensing procedures.
For purposes of paragraph (2), no governmental body or accredited nonprofit educational institution shall be liable for infringement by reason of the transient or temporary storage of material carried out through the automatic technical process of a digital transmission of the performance or display of that material as authorized under paragraph (2). No such material stored on the system or network controlled or operated by the transmitting body or institution under this paragraph shall be maintained on such system or network in a manner ordinarily accessible to anyone other than anticipated recipients. No such copy shall be maintained on the system or network in a manner ordinarily accessible to such anticipated recipients for a longer period than is reasonably necessary to facilitate the transmissions for which it was made.
-SOURCE-
(Pub. L. 94-553, title I, Sec. 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2549; Pub. L. 97-366, Sec. 3, Oct. 25, 1982, 96 Stat. 1759; Pub. L. 105-80, Sec. 12(a)(6), Nov. 13, 1997, 111 Stat. 1534; Pub. L. 105-298, title II, Sec. 202, Oct. 27, 1998, 112 Stat. 2830; Pub. L. 106-44, Sec. 1(a), Aug. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 221; Pub. L. 107-273, div. C, title III, Secs. 13210(6), 13301(b), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1909, 1910.)
-MISC1-
HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES
HOUSE REPORT NO. 94-1476
Clauses (1) through (4) of section 110 deal with performances and
exhibitions that are now generally exempt under the "for profit"
limitation or other provisions of the copyright law, and that are
specifically exempted from copyright liability under this
legislation. Clauses (1) and (2) between them are intended to cover
all of the various methods by which performances or displays in the
course of systematic instruction take place.
Face-to-Face Teaching Activities. Clause (1) of section 110 is
generally intended to set out the conditions under which
performances or displays, in the course of instructional activities
other than educational broadcasting, are to be exempted from
copyright control. The clause covers all types of copyrighted
works, and exempts their performance or display "by instructors or
pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities of a
nonprofit educational institution," where the activities take place
"in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction."
There appears to be no need for a statutory definition of
"face-to-face" teaching activities to clarify the scope of the
provision. "Face-to-face teaching activities" under clause (1)
embrace instructional performances and displays that are not
"transmitted." The concept does not require that the teacher and
students be able to see each other, although it does require their
simultaneous presence in the same general place. Use of the phrase
"in the course of face-to-face teaching activities" is intended to
exclude broadcasting or other transmissions from an outside
location into classrooms, whether radio or television and whether
open or closed circuit. However, as long as the instructor and
pupils are in the same building or general area, the exemption
would extend to the use of devices for amplifying or reproducing
sound and for projecting visual images. The "teaching activities"
exempted by the clause encompass systematic instruction of a very
wide variety of subjects, but they do not include performances or
displays, whatever their cultural value or intellectual appeal,
that are given for the recreation or entertainment of any part of
their audience.
Works Affected. - Since there is no limitation on the types of
works covered by the exemption, teachers or students would be free
to perform or display anything in class as long as the other
conditions of the clause are met. They could read aloud from
copyrighted text material, act out a drama, play or sing a musical
work, perform a motion picture or filmstrip, or display text or
pictorial material to the class by means of a projector. However,
nothing in this provision is intended to sanction the unauthorized
reproduction of copies or phonorecords for the purpose of classroom
performance or display, and the clause contains a special exception
dealing with performances from unlawfully made copies of motion
pictures and other audiovisual works, to be discussed below.
Instructors or Pupils. - To come within clause (1), the
performance or display must be "by instructors or pupils," thus
ruling out performances by actors, singers, or instrumentalists
brought in from outside the school to put on a program. However,
the term "instructors" would be broad enough to include guest
lecturers if their instructional activities remain confined to
classroom situations. In general, the term "pupils" refers to the
enrolled members of a class.
Nonprofit Educational Institution. - Clause (1) makes clear that
it applies only to the teaching activities "of a nonprofit
educational institution," thus excluding from the exemption
performances or displays in profit-making institutions such as
dance studios and language schools.
Classroom or Similar Place. - The teaching activities exempted by
the clause must take place "in a classroom or similar place devoted
to instruction." For example, performances in an auditorium or
stadium during a school assembly, graduation ceremony, class play,
or sporting event, where the audience is not confined to the
members of a particular class, would fall outside the scope of
clause (1), although in some cases they might be exempted by clause
(4) of section 110. The "similar place" referred to in clause (1)
is a place which is "devoted to instruction" in the same way a
classroom is; common examples would include a studio, a workshop, a
gymnasium, a training field, a library, the stage of an auditorium,
or the auditorium itself, if it is actually used as a classroom for
systematic instructional activities.
Motion Pictures and Other Audiovisual Works. - The final
provision of clause (1) deals with the special problem of
performances from unlawfully-made copies of motion pictures and
other audiovisual works. The exemption is lost where the copy being
used for a classroom performance was "not lawfully made under this
title" and the person responsible for the performance knew or had
reason to suspect as much. This special exception to the exemption
would not apply to performances from lawfully-made copies, even if
the copies were acquired from someone who had stolen or converted
them, or if the performances were in violation of an agreement.
However, though the performance would be exempt under section
110(1) in such cases, the copyright owner might have a cause of
action against the unauthorized distributor under section 106(3),
or against the person responsible for the performance, for breach
of contract.
Projection Devices. - As long as there is no transmission beyond
the place where the copy is located, both section 109(b) and
section 110(1) would permit the classroom display of a work by
means of any sort of projection device or process.
Instructional Broadcasting. Works Affected. - The exemption for
instructional broadcasting provided by section 110(2) would apply
only to "performance of a nondramatic literary or musical work or
display of a work." Thus, the copyright owner's permission would be
required for the performance on educational television or radio of
a dramatic work, of a dramatico-musical work such as an opera or
musical comedy, or of a motion picture. Since, as already
explained, audiovisual works such as filmstrips are equated with
motion pictures, their sequential showing would be regarded as a
performance rather than a display and would not be exempt under
section 110(2). The clause is not intended to limit in any way the
copyright owner's exclusive right to make dramatizations,
adaptations, or other derivative works under section 106(2). Thus,
for example, a performer could read a nondramatic literary work
aloud under section 110(2), but the copyright owner's permission
would be required for him to act it out in dramatic form.
Systematic Instructional Activities. - Under section 110(2) a
transmission must meet three specified conditions in order to be
exempted from copyright liability. The first of these, as provided
by subclause (A), is that the performance or display must be "a
regular part of the systematic instructional activities of a
governmental body or a nonprofit educational institution." The
concept of "systematic instructional activities" is intended as the
general equivalent of "curriculums," but it could be broader in a
case such as that of an institution using systematic teaching
methods not related to specific course work. A transmission would
be a regular part of these activities if it is in accordance with
the pattern of teaching established by the governmental body or
institution. The use of commercial facilities, such as those of a
cable service, to transmit the performance or display, would not
affect the exemption as long as the actual performance or display
was for nonprofit purposes.
Content of Transmission. - Subclause (B) requires that the
performance or display be directly related and of material
assistance to the teaching content of the transmission.
Intended Recipients. - Subclause (C) requires that the
transmission is made primarily for:
(i) Reception in classrooms or similar places normally devoted
to instruction, or
(ii) Reception by persons to whom the transmission is directed
because their disabilities or other special circumstances prevent
their attendance in classrooms or similar places normally devoted
to instruction, or
(iii) Reception by officers or employees of governmental bodies
as a part of their official duties or employment.
In all three cases, the instructional transmission need only be
made "primarily" rather than "solely" to the specified recipients
to be exempt. Thus, the transmission could still be exempt even
though it is capable of reception by the public at large.
Conversely, it would not be regarded as made "primarily" for one of
the required groups of recipients if the principal purpose behind
the transmission is reception by the public at large, even if it is
cast in the form of instruction and is also received in classrooms.
Factors to consider in determining the "primary" purpose of a
program would include its subject matter, content, and the time of
its transmission.
Paragraph (i) of subclause (C) generally covers what are known as
"in-school" broadcasts, whether open- or closed-circuit. The
reference to "classrooms or similar places" here is intended to
have the same meaning as that of the phrase as used in section
110(1). The exemption in paragraph (ii) is intended to exempt
transmissions providing systematic instruction to individuals who
cannot be reached in classrooms because of "their disabilities or
other special circumstances." Accordingly, the exemption is
confined to instructional broadcasting that is an adjunct to the
actual classwork of nonprofit schools or is primarily for people
who cannot be brought together in classrooms such as preschool
children, displaced workers, illiterates, and shut-ins.
There has been some question as to whether or not the language in
this section of the bill is intended to include instructional
television college credit courses. These telecourses are aimed at
undergraduate and graduate students in earnest pursuit of higher
educational degrees who are unable to attend daytime classes
because of daytime employment, distance from campus, or some other
intervening reason. So long as these broadcasts are aimed at
regularly enrolled students and conducted by recognized higher
educational institutions, the committee believes that they are
clearly within the language of section 110(2)(C)(ii). Like night
school and correspondence courses before them, these telecourses
are fast becoming a valuable adjunct of the normal college
curriculum.
The third exemption in subclause (C) is intended to permit the
use of copyrighted material, in accordance with the other
conditions of section 110(2), in the course of instructional
transmissions for Government personnel who are receiving training
"as a part of their official duties or employment."
Religious Services. The exemption in clause (3) of section 110
covers performances of a nondramatic literary or musical work, and
also performances "of dramatico-musical works of a religious
nature"; in addition, it extends to displays of works of all kinds.
The exemption applies where the performance or display is "in the
course of services at a place of worship or other religious
assembly." The scope of the clause does not cover the sequential
showing of motion pictures and other audiovisual works.
The exemption, which to some extent has its counterpart in
sections 1 and 104 of the present law [sections 1 and 104 of former
title 17], applies to dramatico-musical works "of a religious
nature." The purpose here is to exempt certain performances of
sacred music that might be regarded as "dramatic" in nature, such
as oratorios, cantatas, musical settings of the mass, choral
services, and the like. The exemption is not intended to cover
performances of secular operas, musical plays, motion pictures, and
the like, even if they have an underlying religious or
philosophical theme and take place "in the course of [religious]
services."
To be exempted under section 110(3) a performance or display must
be "in the course of services," thus excluding activities at a
place of worship that are for social, educational, fund raising, or
entertainment purposes. Some performances of these kinds could be
covered by the exemption in section 110(4), discussed next. Since
the performance or display must also occur "at a place of worship
or other religious assembly," the exemption would not extend to
religious broadcasts or other transmissions to the public at large,
even where the transmissions were sent from the place of worship.
On the other hand, as long as services are being conducted before a
religious gathering, the exemption would apply if they were
conducted in places such as auditoriums, outdoor theaters, and the
like.
Certain Other Nonprofit Performances. In addition to the
educational and religious exemptions provided by clauses (1)
through (3) of section 110, clause (4) contains a general exception
to the exclusive right of public performance that would cover some,
though not all, of the same ground as the present "for profit"
limitation.
Scope of Exemption. - The exemption in clause (4) applies to the
same general activities and subject matter as those covered by the
"for profit" limitation today: public performances of nondramatic
literary and musical works. However, the exemption would be limited
to public performances given directly in the presence of an
audience whether by means of living performers, the playing of
phonorecords, or the operation of a receiving apparatus, and would
not include a "transmission to the public." Unlike the clauses (1)
through (3) and (5) of section 110, but like clauses (6) through
(8), clause (4) applies only to performing rights in certain works,
and does not affect the exclusive right to display a work in
public.
No Profit Motive. - In addition to the other conditions specified
by the clause, the performance must be "without any purpose of
direct or indirect commercial advantage." This provision expressly
adopts the principle established by the court decisions construing
the "for profit" limitation: that public performances given or
sponsored in connection with any commercial or profit-making
enterprises are subject to the exclusive rights of the copyright
owner even though the public is not charged for seeing or hearing
the performance.
No Payment for Performance. - An important condition for this
exemption is that the performance be given "without payment of any
fee or other compensation for the performance to any of its
performers, promoters, or organizers." The basic purpose of this
requirement is to prevent the free use of copyrighted material
under the guise of charity where fees or percentages are paid to
performers, promoters, producers, and the like. However, the
exemption would not be lost if the performers, directors, or
producers of the performance, instead of being paid directly "for
the performance," are paid a salary for duties encompassing the
performance. Examples are performances by a school orchestra
conducted by a music teacher who receives an annual salary, or by a
service band whose members and conductors perform as part of their
assigned duties and who receive military pay. The committee
believes that performances of this type should be exempt, assuming
the other conditions in clause (4) are met, and has not adopted the
suggestion that the word "salary" be added to the phrase referring
to the "payment of any fee or other compensation."
Admission Charge. - Assuming that the performance involves no
profit motive and no one responsible for it gets paid a fee, it
must still meet one of two alternative conditions to be exempt. As
specified in subclauses (A) and (B) of section 110(4), these
conditions are: (1) that no direct or indirect admission charge is
made, or (2) that the net proceeds are "used exclusively for
educational, religious, or charitable purposes and not for private
financial gain."
Under the second of these conditions, a performance meeting the
other conditions of clause (4) would be exempt even if an admission
fee is charged, provided any amounts left "after deducting the
reasonable costs of producing the performance" are used solely for
bona fide educational, religious, or charitable purposes. In cases
arising under this second condition and as provided in subclause
(B), where there is an admission charge, the copyright owner is
given an opportunity to decide whether and under what conditions
the copyrighted work should be performed; otherwise, owners could
be compelled to make involuntary donations to the fund-raising
activities of causes to which they are opposed. The subclause would
thus permit copyright owners to prevent public performances of
their works under section 110(4)(B) by serving notice of objection,
with the reasons therefor, at least seven days in advance.
Mere Reception in Public. Unlike the first four clauses of
section 110, clause (5) is not to any extent a counterpart of the
"for profit" limitation of the present statute. It applies to
performances and displays of all types of works, and its purpose is
to exempt from copyright liability anyone who merely turns on, in a
public place, an ordinary radio or television receiving apparatus
of a kind commonly sold to members of the public for private use.
The basic rationale of this clause is that the secondary use of
the transmission by turning on an ordinary receiver in public is so
remote and minimal that no further liability should be imposed. In
the vast majority of these cases no royalties are collected today,
and the exemption should be made explicit in the statute. This
clause has nothing to do with cable television systems and the
exemptions would be denied in any case where the audience is
charged directly to see or hear the transmission.
With respect to section 110(5), the conference substitute
conforms to the language in the Senate bill. It is the intent of
the conferees that a small commercial establishment of the type
involved in Twentieth Century Music Corp. v. Aiken, 422 U.S. 151
(1975), [95 S.Ct. 2040, 45 L.Ed.2d 84], which merely augmented a
home-type receiver and which was not of sufficient size to justify,
as a practical matter, a subscription to a commercial background
music service, would be exempt. However, where the public
communication was by means of something other than a home-type
receiving apparatus, or where the establishment actually makes a
further transmission to the public, the exemption would not apply.
On June 17, 1975, the Supreme Court handed down a decision in
Twentieth Century Music Corp. v. Aiken, 95 S.Ct. 2040 [422 U.S.
151, 45 L.Ed.2d 84], that raised fundamental questions about the
proper interpretation of section 110(5). The defendant, owner and
operator of a fast-service food shop in downtown Pittsburgh, had "a
radio with outlets to four speakers in the ceiling," which he
apparently turned on and left on throughout the business day.
Lacking any performing license, he was sued for copyright
infringement by two ASCAP members. He lost in the District Court,
won a reversal in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and finally
prevailed, by a margin of 7-2, in the Supreme Court.
The Aiken decision is based squarely on the two Supreme Court
decisions dealing with cable television. In Fortnightly Corp. v.
United Artists, 392 U.S. 390 [88 S.Ct. 2084, 20 L.Ed.2d 1176,
rehearing denied 89 S.Ct. 65, 393 U.S. 902, 21 L.Ed.2d 190], and
again in Teleprompter Corp. v. CBS, 415 U.S. 394 [94 S.Ct. 1129, 39
L.Ed.2d 415], the Supreme Court has held that a CATV operator was
not "performing" within the meaning of the 1909 statute, when it
picked up broadcast signals off the air and retransmitted them to
subscribers by cable. The Aiken decision extends this
interpretation of the scope of the 1909 statute's right of "public
performance for profit" to a situation outside the CATV context
and, without expressly overruling the decision in Buck v.
Jewell-LaSalle Realty Co., 283 U.S. 191 (1931) [51 S.Ct. 410, 75
L.Ed. 971], effectively deprives it of much meaning under the
present law. For more than forty years the Jewell-LaSalle rule was
thought to require a business establishment to obtain copyright
licenses before it could legally pick up any broadcasts off the air
and retransmit them to its guests and patrons. As reinterpreted by
the Aiken decision, the rule of Jewell-LaSalle applies only if the
broadcast being retransmitted was itself unlicensed.
The majority of the Supreme Court in the Aiken case based its
decision on a narrow construction of the word "perform" in the 1909
statute. This basis for the decision is completely overturned by
the present bill and its broad definition of "perform" in section
101. The Committee has adopted the language of section 110(5) with
an amendment expressly denying the exemption in situations where
"the performance or display is further transmitted beyond the place
where the receiving apparatus is located"; in doing so, it accepts
the traditional, pre-Aiken, interpretation of the Jewell-LaSalle
decision, under which public communication by means other than a
home receiving set, or further transmission of a broadcast to the
public, is considered an infringing act.
Under the particular fact situation in the Aiken case, assuming a
small commercial establishment and the use of a home receiver with
four ordinary loudspeakers grouped within a relatively narrow
circumference from the set, it is intended that the performances
would be exempt under clause (5). However, the Committee considers
this fact situation to represent the outer limit of the exemption,
and believes that the line should be drawn at that point. Thus, the
clause would exempt small commercial establishments whose
proprietors merely bring onto their premises standard radio or
television equipment and turn it on for their customers' enjoyment,
but it would impose liability where the proprietor has a commercial
"sound system" installed or converts a standard home receiving
apparatus (by augmenting it with sophisticated or extensive
amplification equipment) into the equivalent of a commercial sound
system. Factors to consider in particular cases would include the
size, physical arrangement, and noise level of the areas within the
establishment where the transmissions are made audible or visible,
and the extent to which the receiving apparatus is altered or
augmented for the purpose of improving the aural or visual quality
of the performance for individual members of the public using those
areas.
Agricultural Fairs. The Committee also amended clause (6) of
section 110 of S. 22 as adopted by the Senate. As amended, the
provision would exempt "performance of a nondramatic musical work
by a governmental body or a nonprofit agricultural or horticultural
organization, in the course of an annual agricultural or
horticultural fair or exhibition conducted by such body or
organization." The exemption extends only to the governmental body
or nonprofit organization sponsoring the fair; the amendment makes
clear that, while such a body or organization cannot itself be held
vicariously liable for infringements by concessionaires at the
fair, the concessionaires themselves enjoy no exemption under the
clause.
Retail Sale of Phonorecords. Clause (7) provides that the
performance of a nondramatic musical work or of a sound recording
by a vending establishment open to the public at large without any
direct or indirect admission charge, where the sole purpose of the
performance is to promote the retail sale of copies or phonorecords
of the work, is not an infringement of copyright. This exemption
applies only if the performance is not transmitted beyond the place
where the establishment is located and is within the immediate area
where the sale is occurring.
Transmission to Handicapped Audiences. The new clause (8) of
subsection 110, which had been added to S. 22 by the Senate
Judiciary Committee when it reported the bill on November 20, 1975,
and had been adopted by the Senate on February 19, 1976, was
substantially amended by the Committee. Under the amendment, the
exemption would apply only to performances of "nondramatic literary
works" by means of "a transmission specifically designed for and
primarily directed to" one or the other of two defined classes of
handicapped persons: (1) "blind or other handicapped persons who
are unable to read normal printed material as a result of their
handicap" or (2) "deaf or other handicapped persons who are unable
to hear the aural signals accompanying a transmission." Moreover,
the exemption would be applicable only if the performance is
"without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage,"
and if the transmission takes place through government facilities
or through the facilities of a noncommercial educational broadcast
station, a radio subcarrier authorization (SCA), or a cable system.
AMENDMENTS
2002 - Pub. L. 107-273, Sec. 13301(b)(2), inserted concluding
provisions relating to par. (2).
Par. (2). Pub. L. 107-273, Sec. 13301(b)(1), added par. (2) and
struck out former par. (2) which read as follows: "performance of a
nondramatic literary or musical work or display of a work, by or in
the course of a transmission, if -
"(A) the performance or display is a regular part of the
systematic instructional activities of a governmental body or a
nonprofit educational institution; and
"(B) the performance or display is directly related and of
material assistance to the teaching content of the transmission;
and
"(C) the transmission is made primarily for -
"(i) reception in classrooms or similar places normally
devoted to instruction, or
"(ii) reception by persons to whom the transmission is
directed because their disabilities or other special
circumstances prevent their attendance in classrooms or similar
places normally devoted to instruction, or
"(iii) reception by officers or employees of governmental
bodies as a part of their official duties or employment;".
Par. (4)(B). Pub. L. 107-273, Sec. 13210(6), substituted colon
for semicolon at end of introductory provisions.
1999 - Par. (5)(A). Pub. L. 106-44 redesignated cls. (A) and (B)
as (i) and (ii), respectively.
1998 - Pub. L. 105-298, Sec. 202(a)(2), inserted concluding
provisions relating to par. (5).
Par. (5). Pub. L. 105-298, Sec. 202(a)(1), designated existing
provisions as subpar. (A), inserted "except as provided in
subparagraph (B)," after "(A)", and added subpar. (B).
Par. (7). Pub. L. 105-298, Sec. 202(b), inserted "or of the
audiovisual or other devices utilized in such performance," after
"phonorecords of the work,".
1997 - Par. (8). Pub. L. 105-80, Sec. 12(a)(6)(A), substituted
semicolon for period at end.
Par. (9). Pub. L. 105-80, Sec. 12(a)(6)(B), substituted "; and"
for period at end.
Par. (10). Pub. L. 105-80, Sec. 12(a)(6)(C), substituted
"paragraph (4)" for "paragraph 4 above".
1982 - Par. (10). Pub. L. 97-366 added par. (10).
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1998 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 105-298 effective 90 days after Oct. 27,
1998, see section 207 of Pub. L. 105-298, set out as a note under
section 101 of this title.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1982 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 97-366 effective 30 days after Oct. 25,
1982, see section 2 of Pub. L. 97-366, set out as a note under
section 708 of this title.
-SECREF-
SECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS
This section is referred to in sections 106, 111, 112, 118, 501,
504, 511 of this title; title 18 section 2319.