Q&A: I need information on movie royalties?

Question by geoffrey B: I need information on movie royalties?
I am trying to organize a public showing of the 1986 Transformers Movie and I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the legal matters involved in showing movies publicly. I will not be charging to see the movie in anyway, it will be taking place at a mall in Pasadena, CA, and we will probably be handing out fliers to advertise it. The purpose of the movie is to advertise my costuming forum (Transformers Themed) and it is hosted by invision free so I don’t make any money off of it.

What I need to know is if I am not making any profit off of it do I have to pay royalties. (because it could be argued that the mall is making a profit by having the people present.)

Am I even allowed to show a DVD publicly?

And if I do have to pay royalties does anyone know how I can find out who I pay them to?

Best answer:

Answer by laughter_every_day
Not royalties. Instead, the issue is copyright. You can find who owns the copyright by simply searching the web or looking at the end of the DVD. Many will allow non=profit use without a fee, but that is up to the copyright owner.

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