Section 110(1) of the copyright act allows for public performances or displays of copyrighted material in classroom environments. The display must be for instructional purposes only and only for the students in your class. So if you are displaying a film that directly relates to your course content, you may display it for your students, but you may not distribute or display illicitly made copies. If you wish to have a "fun" class day and watch a movie for entertainment, then you will need to purchase Public Performance Rights for that movie.
The 2003 TEACH Act updated the section 110(2) of copyright code. This section covers public performances in online courses. TEACH stands for "Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization."
This act allows display of films in online classroom environments provided that:
A few non-code items to think about:
Copyright issues can be complicated! This guide is meant to inform you of common issues surrounding copyright, but it is not legal advice.