[LM_NET] Student Performance and Copyright

[Donna Trenda <dctrenda@ATT.NET>]

Dear wise ones,

We have been participating in a speech tournament with students from other local 
schools for a few years. This year at the kickoff meeting, a teacher from another 
participating school proposed that in order to comply with copyright, the students 
should no longer use any copyrighted materials for their performances. This would 
include memorizing poetry, a short story, etc. as we have in the past. With 
permission, we already use Edna Means and Consortium as sources for plays scripts.
The students gather to perform in classrooms at the middle school before volunteer 
judges from the community. There is no admission charge, and the audience is 
limited to performers friends, and family.
Under these circumstances, my interpretation of copyright is very different, for 
the following reasons:
1. We do not profit from this program.
2. The audience is limited.
3. The author of the original material does not lose his rightful compensation.
4. The material is changed from it's original format through student interpretation.
It seems to me that "fair use" would even apply in this case.

Is there a source I can refer to get an "official" interpretation of copyright as 
it applies to student performances of written works? I have already checked 
copyright for teachers websites. I would love to give the kids more freedom in 
their choice of works to perform while still working within the guidelines of 
copyright law.

Thanks so much,

Donna Trenda
St. Anne School
Barrington, Il.
dctrenda@att.net

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