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I wanted to take a minute to spout off on something I believe is simply dirty. Or maybe I am missing the big picture.

My husband just came back from our Public Library with steam blowing out his ears where he was delivering a press release of our upcoming show.

It appears that the library which is right across the street will be the spot where a local church will be showing An Inconvenient Truth October 17-24, 2006.

It appears that all churches were given without royalities this DVD that releases on 11/21/06 free of charge to show at will.

We played this movie in August and had a pretty good turn out.

I don't know quite who to vent my anger at or if I really have a right to be angry.

Sorry, but if you already played the film and had decent biz, then you have no complaint.

All the corporations care about are the big circuits and the DVD sales.

The fact you were able to actually do something with the film before the DVD release is a big plus.

Enjoy what you have.

It's not going to get any better. The studios are closing that window, little by little on the video vs. theatrical dates.

Thank you so much - I realize I should be happy with what I have as well as the window closing in but can't seem to get my mind around the equity in every gin joint etc. being able to display DVD's without going through the BS folks who are licensed to do so have to go through.

In reviewing the laws I am especially interested in what the law means when it says ...."unless" I would be especially interested in exhibitor's interpretation of this.

What the Law Says - The Federal Copyright Act (Title 17 of the U.S. Code) governs how copyrighted materials, such as movies, may be used. Neither the rental nor the purchase of a movie carries with it the right to show the movie publicly outside the home, unless the site where the movie is used is properly licensed for public exhibition.

It is quite obvious that I don't have the years under my belt as most of you, I am very timid most times about asking questions, writing or responding to any forum comments. I do however want to thank you up front for taking your time to respond.

It seems that church congregations are becoming more politicaly aligned, one way or the other. Perhaps they always were, but it seems to be something that hits the news more often these days... partly because active politicising can mess with a church's non-profit status.

Offering the DVD to churches might have been a shrewd way to get the message to large, receptive groups that would self-promote the presentation.

The copyright issue wouldn't be an issue if the holder is giving his own material away. You don't hold the copyright, so you don't have the rights he does.