As many teachers and others are aware, we take copyright seriously. More and more teachers are using video resources in class. Many teachers have a personal Netflix account. The issue is in using that personal account in the classroom. Using Netflix in this way appears to be in violation of their Terms of Use.
The Netflix service, and any content viewed through our service, are for your personal and non-commercial use only. During your Netflix membership, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, license to access the Netflix service and view movies and TV shows through the service on a streaming-only basis for that purpose. Except for the foregoing limited license, no right, title or interest shall be transferred to you. You agree not to use the service for public performances.
Please note a couple of important distinctions. When you sign up for a Netflix account (or Amazon Prime or Hulu Plus,etc.), you are agreeing to their terms and conditions. Generally, those conditions include that you will only use it for personal use. The classroom is not personal use. The classroom is a public performance.
There are some basic guidelines that you can follow:
- If you pay for an account, it probably can’t be used in school.
- If you need a user name and password to access, it probably can’t be used in school.
We recognize the value of video. We have opened up YouTube to staff and students. Media Specialists can approve videos for students to view if need be. This allow us to follow appropriate Copyright law and provide appropriate video resources for learning. Certainly it is not perfect yet. We do hope that it will continue to get better and better.