STREAMING MEDIA

Library Resources – Streaming Media Collections A-Z

The UW Tacoma Library has a large collection of streaming videos on many subjects. These include Alexander Street Press, Kanopy, and many more.
Most individual films or media can be shared via your Canvas course.
Browse the Collections
Request Media for Classroom or Streaming

 

Commercial Streaming and the Classroom
Most commercial streaming services have clauses in their Terms of Use, Subscriber Agreement, or Terms of Service that prohibit the broadcasting of their content in any other setting than private and personal. Meaning that streaming content from these services either in a physical classroom or in an online classroom violates these agreements. The following list is a sample of the clauses from several popular streaming platforms. If you are considering using content from a service that isn't listed, please consult their license before showing any content in the classroom. See below: Most Common Streaming User Agreements.

Commercial Streaming Exception: Netflix Documentaries in a Classroom
Netflix allows some of its documentaries to be shown in a face-to-face educational setting, however you must check to see if the content has a "Grant of Permission for Educational Screenings" or if they are included on Netflix's YouTube playlist of educational documentaries.

  • Educational Screenings of Documentaries | Netflix Help Center
    The official page from Netflix about educational screenings.
    To find our which titles are available for educational screenings, go to the “Only On Netflix” section and navigate to “All Alphabetical.”
    Titles that are available for educational screening will display the following on their details page:

GRANT OF PERMISSION FOR EDUCTATIONAL SCREENINGS


Most Common Streaming User Agreements

Netflix
When agreeing to Netflix Terms and Conditions upon account creation, specifications state that, “The Netflix service and any content accessed through our service are for your personal and non-commercial use only and may not be shared with individuals beyond your household unless otherwise allowed by your subscription plan. During your Netflix membership, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access the Netflix service and Netflix content through the service. Except for the foregoing, no right, title or interest shall be transferred to you. You agree not to use the service for public performances.”
Streaming Netflix content in a classroom setting would be a direct violation of licensing terms (section 4.2).

Amazon Prime
When agreeing to Amazon Prime Video Terms and Conditions upon account creation, specifications state that "Amazon grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, limited license, during the applicable Viewing Period, to access and view the Digital Content in accordance with the Usage Rules, for personal, non-commercial, private use." 
Amazon has not made provisions for educational screenings of its content. While classroom use would be non-commercial, it would not be considered personal/private use. Streaming Amazon content in a classroom setting would be a direct violation of licensing terms (section 4h).

Disney+ / ESPN+
When agreeing to Disney+ Subscriber Agreement upon account creation, specifications state that "Disney+ and/or ESPN+ grants you a limited, personal use, non-transferrable, non-assignable, revocable, non-exclusive, and non-sublicensable right to do the following; i) Install and make non-commercial, personal use of Disney+ Serivce or ESPN+ Service." 

Disney has not made provisions for educational screenings of its content through personal accounts. While classroom use would be non-commercial, it would not be considered personal use. Streaming Disney+ / ESPN+ content in a classroom setting would be a direct violation of licensing terms (section 3).

 

HBO
When agreeing to HBO Terms of Use upon account creation, specifications state that "You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, enter into a database, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any part of this Service, except that you may access and display material and all other content displayed on this Service for non-commercial, personal, entertainment use on a single computer or device only." 

HBO has not made provisions for educational screenings of its content through personal accounts. While classroom use would be non-commercial, it would not be considered personal use. Streaming HBO content in a classroom setting would be a direct violation of licensing terms (section 6a).


Hulu

When agreeing to Hulu Terms and Conditions upon account creation, specifications state that "using the services, including accessing and viewing the Content on a streaming-only basis, [is for] personal, non-commercial purposes." 

Hulu has not made provisions for educational screenings of its content. While classroom use would be non-commercial, it would not be considered personal use. Streaming Hulu content in a classroom setting would be a direct violation of licensing terms (section 3.2).


COPYRIGHT BASICS

The Copyright Act, Section 110(1) – face-to-face teaching exemption – allows for the performance or display of video or film in a classroom where instruction takes place with enrolled students who are physically present and the film is related to the curricular goals of the course.

SECTION 110 | Copyright Law of the United States

 

TEACH ACT

The TEACH Act amendment to the Copyright Act (Section 110(2)) permits the performance of a reasonable and limited portion of films streamed or embedded in an online classroom. It does not supersede the Fair Use doctrine of copyright law, so films that are not allowed by the TEACH Act (feature films and dramatic works) may fall under Fair Use.

UW Copyright Resource – TEACH Act
TEACH Act requirements and definition from the University of Washington (UW). 

TEACHing from a Distance and copyright Considerations
Blog post from the Library of Congress that explains the TEACH Act in detail.


FAIR USE

Fair Use is a limitation on the rights of the copyright holder that allows othes to use portions of a copyrighted work or the whole work without permission from the holder.
Section 107 | Copyright Law of the United States
It is determined by a balance application of the four factors set forth in the statute:

 

  1. Purpose of the use
  2. Nature of the copyrighted work
  3. Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
  4. Effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work

 

Instructors who want to use copyrighted material as additional reading or viewing course content, should determine whether their use is fair before posting or uploading items to their courses. Not all education use is Fair Use.

UW’s University Libraries has created a Fair Use Checklist to help faculty work through their use of copyrighted works.

 

Fair Use analyses apply to books and periodicals, music, images, and multimedia. Please note, however, that uses of materials access through licensed databases and streaming services are governed by contractual agreements, which may have terms that are stricter than U.S. copyright law. So, even though there might be a classroom exception in copyright law, the license (and your agreement to it) will prevail over the law.