"Movie Licensing USA, a licensing firm that works with
Disney and a number of other companies, sent an email to Emerson
Elementary, letting it know the firm was alerted to the PTA’s screening,
and the school was facing a $250 fine as a result for showing a movie
for which it didn’t have the licensing rights. The email, which was
obtained by CNN, noted that “any time a movie is shown outside of the
home, legal permission is needed to show it, as it is considered a
Public Performance.”...
There are a number of unanswered questions. How did Movie
Licensing USA even find out about the event? Who alerted the company to
a small fundraising event, which led the firm to take action? Disney is
notorious for its copyright takedown strategy, but it’s usually over
parts of its movies ending up on YouTube or other hosting sites or merchandise using characters from its properties — not a fundraising event where a movie purchased by a local father was shown.
At least Iger is trying to rectify the situation. But it doesn’t answer any of the questions listed above. The Verge has reached out to Disney and Movie Licensing USA for more information."
