Discussion:
What is the name of your state? MO. I haven't found a satisfactory answer to this question: can a school or arts organization to allow parents to videotape a children's choir concert? Assume that the school has the proper performance rights. it's not a musical or theatrical work - it's a selection of works sung by a choir that parents want to video for their own memories, send to grandparents, etc. No video broadcasts or sales. Some schools prohibit videotaping, some allow it if it's non-disruptive, but most have no stated policy at all. Any thoughts, comments, opinions would be appreciated.
Answer:
Rather than get into a theoretical discussion about your 'what-if' scenarios (which is NOT the purpose of this forum), how about some specifics..... IF you have one.
Answer:
Didn't mean to offend anyone out there. I'll try again: I have kids who sing in choirs for school and church. Anyone who's ever been to a school performance has seen plenty of parents with video cameras taping the performance. One school my kids sing with bans videotaping because it's been told that music publishers view the videotaping as a copyright violation. Since I've been to any number of school performances where videotaping is at least tolerated, I'm wondering if videotaping is a problem or not.
Answer:
The 'owner' of a production, be it a school concert or a big-name rock band, has the right to prohibit copying 'their product'. The school has a right to ban unauthorized taping of the 'product' that they produce.
Further, the school is using copyrighted products in their production. There are permissable purposes for schools to do so (educational), but that permission would not extend to anyone else copying or 'using' the copyrighted property of another. The school is correct in protecting the copyright holders rights.